Virtues of The Heart
by TabiNoTochuu
Summary: Book II in the Colors of My Soul series. Check the preface often for updates! Summary: Takes place after the events of Book I, and shows the new lives of Lelouch and C.C. However, in order to reunite, they'll have to cross enormous barriers against near-impossible odds to be together.
1. Preface and Notes

**Colors of My Soul:**

**Book II - Virtues of The Heart**

**Preface**

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

Hello, and welcome to the second book in my Code Geass series,_Colors of My Soul!_ For those of you who have not already read Book I,

I encourage you to do so, as some things may get a bit confusing in this book without prior knowledge from Book I.

I will update this page often in order to provide you with information about future releases and any other information I may need to

relay to you.

**Overview:**

Yeah, I've scrapped the Romeo and Juliet plot, but I will be using a few of the ideas from the play.

Thank you for choosing to read _Colors of My Soul_, and I hope that you'll take the time to leave me a review or drop me a PM. I appreciate all feedback I get, and I actually DO read anything given to me, provided I have time to read it.

Until Next Time!

~TabiNoTochuu

**********-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

**Release Schedule:**

Current work: Book II - Chapter 4 (**7/18-20**), Chapter 5 (**7/30-8/5**)

Book II - Chapters 1-3 (**Published**)

**Future Plans:**

_**Virtues of The**_**_ Heart_: **This story will no longer involve ideas from the plot of William Shakespeare's _Romeo and Juliet_. As of the present, I have no plans as to how long the story will be, but I am almost certain that it will be longer than my first book, _Colors of My Soul._

If you have any further suggestions and or comments, please don't hesitate to PM me.

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

_"They do not love that do not show their love. The course of true love never did run smooth. Love is a familiar. Love is a devil. There is no evil angel but Love."_

_~Wiilliam Shakespeare_


	2. Book II Chapter 1: A Chance Encounter

**Author's note: **Hello, and welcome to the first official chapter in the sequel to my first Code Geass fan fiction, _Colors of My Soul_. This chapter picks up directly from where Book I ended, and will continue from there. A few things beforehand:

1.) I had originally planned to publish this yesterday, but I managed to brilliantly sprain my ankle badly, so I didn't really spend too much time working. However, I think I managed to edit it much better today!

2.) For those who have not read Book I, I strongly suggest you read that before you continue onto this chapter. Go on, this chapter will still be here when you get back! Some things here might become confusing if you have not yet read book I.

3.) As much as I hate to say this, this Book will again be a Romantic Angst. However, the overall tones of the story will be much lighter than Book I, at least until the end. Book III and the one-shot that makes up Book IV will be the only two pieces that will involve ONLY fluff and light-hearted action.

4.) I've scrapped the idea of using a Romeo/Juliet plot. It was too complex to fit in. I'll only be using some references.

5.) **If I didn't make it clear, this story is going to be a slight AU from the original storyline. The Code Geass universe still exists, however the actions of Zero, and thus, the events of the Code Geass series never happened.**

6.) Oh, and completely off topic, I've finally managed to archive a collective total of 100,000 words! I would like to thank all of you readers, especially my reviewers! You guys are what makes it worthwhile to keep writing.

Thank you for choosing _Virtues of the Heart,_ and I hope that you will enjoy this story!

Until Next Time!

~TabiNoTochuu

* * *

**Book II**

**Chapter 1 – A Chance Encounter**

Before I begin my story, I think an introduction is necessary. My name is Lelouch Lamperouge, and I'm a student in the country of Japan. I'm seventeen years old, but I'm already a year behind my other friends. It wasn't an intelligence issue, but rather an attendance issue. My grades were perfect, but I came to school maybe four or five times a month. I usually only went when I knew there would be a test.

As for my family life, my mother died when I was very young, and I take care of my two sisters, Nunally and Euphy on my own using money our father leaves us, as well as the other odds and ends that I get when I occasionally land a job.

What I didn't expect was the person who came into my life rather unexpectedly. This is what this story is about. My chance encounter that changed my life forever.

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

Ice clinked against the side of my glass as I took a sip from the tall portion of iced tea. It was early May, and despite everything, it was already unbearably hot. So, naturally, instead of going over to swelter and boil at the school, I decided to take a detour and stop by the busy shopping district to get something cool to drink.

"Geh... what good is school anyway? It's not like there's anything there that they can really teach me..."

I reached the bottom of my glass and motioned for the waiter to fill up the glass again. This was one of my most frequented cafes, and the staff already knew me very well. So, there were no questions why a person like me was here, drinking iced tea, instead of studying at school.

From my bag, I pulled out a novel that I had been reading. There wasn't really a point for me to go to school today, I decided. It was too hot, and besides, there wasn't going to be a test today.

I had no sooner begun to read when a voice piped up next to me. "Hey, you. Why aren't you at school?"

I didn't even bother to look up from my book. "It's a waste of time. What good will it do me if I go and have them teach me what I already know?"

"Hmm... In that case, why don't you accompany me for a while? It's not like you're doing anything important anyways."

I looked up from the page I was on, and directly into a pair of bright golden eyes. The girl's face could only be described as extraordinarily pretty, and her long, lime-green hair flowed down her back. For a brief second, I was rendered speechless. There was no way such a perfect girl could exist in the world. "G-Give me a reason. If you noticed, I'm busy right now. Why should I throw away what I'm doing in order to go with you?"

She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Well... How about... I'll reward you if you can entertain me for today! How's that?"

"I'm not your dog to drag around. Besides, I don't even know who you are."

"Is that all? In that case, let me introduce myself." Her eyes twinkled mischievously. "I am C.C. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"C.C.? That isn't a real name."

She pouted at me. "It IS a real name! I can call myself whatever I want, right?"

I raised my hands in surrender. "I'm not one to pry for details or to force my values onto others. My name is Lelouch Lamperouge. It's a pleasure to meet you as well... I think. I don't have anything else to do today, since I've decided to skip school today."

Her face brightened up instantly, and she grabbed my arm. "Well then, let's go! There's a lot of places I want to go today!"

"Wait! Hold on! I never agreed to go with you!" She ignored my string of curses as she pulled me out of my chair and into the busy street outside the cafe.

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

My mouth twitched in irritation as I glared at the girl who sat across from me. After she had pulled me through several stores, the little she-devil declared that she was hungry, and dragged me to a nearby Pizza Hut. "So... how much more pizza are you going to eat? This is what... your seventh slice now?"

"Eighth, but I'm not counting. Besides, there isn't anything wrong with this, right? Your delicate, feminine frame can only take so much. It'd be bad to let the leftover slices go to waste, right?"

My eyebrow twitched noticeably. "... what did you just call me?"

"I said, you have a delicate, feminine frame. Or rather, I should say you have a pathetically weak one. You should eat more pizza. You might be able to build _some_ muscle if you do."

I slammed my hand down on the table. "Look here. I won't have you dragging me all around town, wasting MY money on junk food, and insulting me whenever you please. You should treat others the way you want to be treated. Didn't your parents teach you any manners?"

Her face instantly changed and a bitter smile rose to her lips. "Parents..."

"Ah- I'm s-sorry. I didn't mean to..."

She looked back up at me, with a smile on her face again. However, I knew she only forced out that smile in order to reassure me. "It's okay. In return, I want you to accompany me for a bit longer."

I hesitated before I responded. Who knew what she would put me through as punishment for bringing up such a sensitive topic? "... very well. Where do you wish to go?"

She tapped her chin thoughtfully, then pointed at a nearby sign. "How about... there? That sounds like a nice place to go."

I stared at the sign for a few brief seconds. My mind attempted, but failed miserably in its attempt to understand the reason as to why this crazy woman chose this particular place to go. There were hundreds, no... possibly thousands of other places we could go to. Yet, she had to choose this place. "Are you serious?"

She smiled and nodded happily. "Of course!" She looked over at me, and frowned slightly. "Is there something wrong with my choice?"

"N-No! … well... maybe a little."

"...?"

She tilted her head at me, a look of mild confusion on her face. "Ehh... Lelouch? You're acting a bit strange."

"You'll see."

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

**Rose Gardens, Tokyo Settlement**

I sat on a bench in the park and took a deep breath. I frequently came here when I was in need of a quiet place to read a book or just take a nap. The surrounding area was extremely peaceful, and the movement of roses in the wind provided a calming effect. However, I stayed away from the more populated areas.

"Woooowww! This place is even better than I imagined it to be!"

I glanced sideways at the girl next to me. Once again, I found myself under the trance of her beauty. I shook myself out of my daze and pointed. "Now do you do understand why I didn't want to take you here?"

Every around the main entrance, were couples. There were barely any benches that didn't have a couple on it. I sneaked a glance at her and found her staring at me with an impassive expression on her face. "Is that it? You didn't want to take me here because you feel awkward around all these couples?" She gave a mock sigh of exasperation. "Not only are you feminine, but you're also quite immature, aren't you?"

You could almost hear the vein pop in my forehead. "Why you ungrateful..."

My eyes opened wide as I felt her arm link with mine. For a brief second, I was dumbstruck. What in the world was this girl doing? We had just met today, but here she was, acting like she had known me for years. "Let go of me. I don't want you so close to me."

A smirk grew on her face, and her golden eyes shone with mischievous energy. "What? Don't tell me you're embarrassed to be seen in public with such a pretty girl! In fact, you should be grateful that such a perfect girl like me chose to spend time with you."

That was the last straw. I grabbed her arm and pulled her down a path to a small isolated garden that I often used for relaxation. Once we were alone, I flung her arm away from me and turned on her, angrily. "You damn witch... what do you think you're saying? You've pulled me away from my relaxation time, and dragged me across town. What's more, I've paid for all your food and other expenses today. If that's how you're going to treat me, then I see no reason to continue to accompany you. If you really are such a 'perfect' girl, you shouldn't have any trouble finding some other guy to cater for you, right?"

Her eyes opened wide at my outburst, and I was surprised to see tears form in her eyes. Immediately, I felt guilty for what I had said, but at the same time, I knew what I said was correct. She was, essentially, feeding off of me.

I turned around and prepared to leave the garden, when I felt a tug on my sleeve, and a small voice speak up. "... I'm sorry. I didn't know I bothered you so much... I promise to... I promise treat you better from now on. So please... D-Don't leave m-m-me here a-alone."

I turned around to see a completely different C.C. than the one I had spent most of today with. She seemed to grow unbelievably fragile, as if she would shatter into pieces at any given time. "C.C... um... I'm sorry I yelled at you."

She looked up at me, tears still flowing from her eyes. "It's alright. In return for today, I'll give you something too."

I must have looked at her in a strange way, because she immediately added, "Don't think I'm going to do anything perverted with you."

"I wasn't! Why did you even think that?"

She smirked as her old attitude seemed to return. "You were staring at me for quite some time. Perhaps you like the types that cry a lot? Maybe that allows you to show your masculine side more often."

"Why you..."

C.C. put a finger to my lips. "Close your eyes, Lelouch."

Outwardly, I calmly did what she told me. However, internally, my entire body was in a state of extreme confusion. Numerous different scenarios raced through my head. I could feel her presence getting closer and closer. Then, suddenly, I felt something warm and extraordinarily soft brush my cheek. I opened my eyes in surprise to see C.C.'s face directly in front of mine, with her lips firmly attached to my own.

For some reason, the touch of her lips was indescribably familiar to me. It was as if we had kissed before, in the past. However, I knew for sure that we had just met today. I instinctively wrapped my arms around her and pulled her in for a deeper kiss. Her eyes opened wide for a second, before they slowly closed again. Her body became docile and limp in my arms.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I pulled out of the kiss. We stood there, panting from the lack of oxygen as we stared at each other. Reason seemed to return to the two of us. My face flushed with embarrassment and I quickly turned my head away. "W-Why did you kiss me?"

Her face was extremely red, probably a mirror image of my own. For a few seconds, she was unable to speak as she stood there, staring at me. "I-It was just a spur of the moment thing! Don't get cocky over it!"

We both fell silent and stared at each other. I couldn't understand this girl at all. A few moments ago, she was full of energy, insulting me without care. Now, it felt like a completely different C.C. had appeared in front of me. The silence grew uncomfortable, and I grasped for something, anything to say. "Uh... C.C."

"Lelouch, I-"

We had both begun talking at the same time. "Ah- I'm sorry. You go first. What did you want to tell me?"

Her face was red as she opened her mouth. "Uhm... D-Do... Do we know each other? I mean, have we met before?"

Her question surprised me. I had been wondering the exact thing not a few seconds ago. _Could this possibly mean something more? This can't be just a coincidence, right?_

"I don't think so... I'm sure I just met you today. But... I also had the feeling that I've met you from somewhere before."

We both fell silent, and for a few minutes, we both just stood there in absolute silence. I took a look at my cell phone, and nearly jumped out of my skin when I realized what time it was. Because of the events of today, I had lost track of time. I hadn't even realized how dark it was getting. "Oh god... I have to get home right now. I'm sorry, but if I'm not home soon, I'm going be late for dinner."

Her eyes snapped to me at those words. "You're leaving?"

"I have to. I have to make dinner for my sisters. My father doesn't come home often, and when he does, it isn't for very long."

She bit her lip and glanced down. "I see... Well... I guess I'll see you around?"

The expression on her face told me she clearly didn't want me to leave just yet. I very nearly groaned out in frustration. Despite what I've said, I actually enjoyed my time with her today. Against my better judgment, I turned back to her. "... I know this might be a bit sudden... but, I guess... If you want, uhm... would you like to come over for dinner?"

The words had barely left my mouth when she ran straight at me and knocked me over with a hug that was extraordinarily close to a tackle. With a loud crash, we both ended up on the floor. "Thank you, Lelouch."

Her eyes widened as she realized just how close we were. A slight blush crept into her face as she gazed at me. My hand unconsciously came up and gently rested on her neck. "Lelouch..." she whispered.

I slowly began to bring her face closer to mine. Right before our lips met again, her hand came up and she pushed herself away from me. "Stop... If we continue, I don't think I'll be able to go back anymore."

She slowly sat up and rolled off of my body. I allowed myself to get up as well, groaning as the sore spots on my back stretched. Her face was red and she quickly turned her head away from me. "It's fine." I got up and held out my hand to her. "Shall we get going? I did promise you dinner. I wouldn't be a man if I couldn't make good on my promises, right?"

She hesitated, then grabbed my hand. I pulled her to her feet and began to walk toward the exit of the park. After a few feet, I felt her small, warm hand grasp my own.

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

"I'm home..."

My sister, Nunally, rolled out into the hallway on her wheelchair. I should explain. When she was very young, Nunally had contracted a deadly, unidentified disease. She spent nearly two years in and out of the hospital. In the end, the disease destroyed vital connections in her brain that transmitted signals to her legs. Another consequence of the disease was that her eyes were now eternally closed, victim to the ravaging virus that had almost killed her.

She stopped in front of me and tilted her head. "Onii-sama... is there another person with you?"

"Ah! That's right. Um... Nunally, I'd like to introduce C.C." I turned to the girl who stood behind me. "C.C., this is my sister, Nunally."

Nunally reached out with her hand. "It's nice meeting you, C.C.-san."

The green-haired girl behind me grasped my sister's hand and shook it warmly. "Likewise. And please, just call me C.C. All those honorifics make my mind spin."

Nunally giggled, then did something that nearly caused my heart to fail. "Please, take care of my brother from now on. I know he isn't too great, but he's a great cook and really smart too."

My face flushed with embarrassment. "Nunally! She isn't my girlfriend. I just met her at the cafe today."

"Oh... I see."

I took off my jacket and hung it up. "I'm going to go make dinner now, so just relax and wait, alright?"

"Ah, onii-sama, Euphy told me to tell you that she wouldn't be home for dinner tonight. Apparently, she's at a friend's house, and she'll have dinner there."

I nodded and headed into the kitchen. I grabbed my apron from the counter and tied it securely. A loud snort caught my attention, and I swung my head around to the source. Of course, that green-haired witch was in the doorway, trying desperately to suppress her laughter. "What's so damn funny?"

"I couldn't help it. When I saw you in that apron and that serious expression, I just lost it. You look absolutely ridiculous!"

I gritted my teeth and swallowed my pride before I turned back to the stove. "If you're just going to bother me, then get out. If you're fine with not eating dinner, then, by all means, stay in here."

Instead of turning to leave like I had hoped, she walked further into the small kitchen. "Alright, alright. I'm done. But, seriously, could I... could I help you make dinner? It wouldn't feel right having you do all the work."

"Despite what my mind is telling me right now, you're a guest in my house. I can't possibly allow you to do the work. Just go back into the living room and relax."

She gave me a look of defeat, then headed for the doorway. As she was about to step out of the kitchen, she stopped with her hand on the door frame. "... Despite your attitude, you're really a kind person, aren't you, Lelouch?"

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

**That Evening, Lamperouge Residence**

I took a sip from my cup of tea and glanced at C.C. She was having a pretty animated conversation with my other sister, Euphemia, better known as "Euphy", who had returned just as we finished dinner. The contents of their conversation was completely incomprehensible to me, however, I did hear my name mentioned several times.

"So... how long will you be staying, C.C.?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "I suppose just until tomorrow. Lelouch offered to let me use his room tonight."

I nearly spat out the mouthful of tea I just drank and ended up choking as I attempted half-spitting out the tea and half trying to swallow it. "*Cough* What... are you talking about?"

Her golden irises turned to me impassively. "Don't you remember, Lelouch? You told me I could stay here."

To make matters worse, Euphy had to pipe up with her own bit as well. "Yeah, onii-chan! You can't just let your girlfriend go home for the night when you've already promised to let her stay!"

I grabbed C.C.'s hand and pulled her out into the hallway. "What's the meaning of this? You can't stay here tonight."

"I can't?" She gave me a puppy dog look.

However, I wouldn't be fooled by her theatrics any more. "You can't. Go home already!"

She clenched her hands and stared at the ground. "I... I don't want to go back there. There's nothing left for me back there."

"... still... you can't stay here."

She looked at me desperately. "Lelouch... Are you going to force me to leave as well? I don't want to be alone anymore..."

I stood there, unable to say a thing. She stared at me for a few moments longer, then turned to the door. A single tear fell from her eye and fell, glittering to the floor. She laid her hand on the doorknob and hesitated. "... good-bye, Lelouch."

I quickly reached out and grabbed her hand. "Wait. I can't let a girl like you wander the streets at this time of night. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if something happened to you due to my choices. I'll let you stay here for tonight, on one condition. I want you to tell me your circumstances. Why won't you return home?"

"That... might be a little difficult to explain."

"We have time. If you won't tell me, I won't force you to. As I've said, everyone has their own secrets. I'm not one to pry into another person's personal life."

With that said, I pull her back through the hallway, and into the area where the bedrooms were located. "We only have two rooms here. Euphy and Nunally share a room over there, and the other one is my room. You're welcome to stay in my room, and I'll sleep on the couch for tonight."

"Ehhh? You don't want to sleep in the same bed as me?"

There she went again. Her attitude had completely changed from just a few moments ago. … What a strange woman. "Of course not. Now go get ready to sleep. I don't want to hear noises from your room. I actually have to go to school tomorrow."

"G-Got it. Eh... Would you mind if I borrowed your shower?"

"Not at all. It may be strange for me to say this, but please make yourself at home."

"T-Thank you. In that case, I'll be excusing myself."

She gave a tiny bow and headed into my room, headed for the small bathroom in there. I sighed and closed the door to my room as I turned around. Seriously... I couldn't understand this girl at all. One minute, she would be wildly sarcastic, but in the next, she could become extraordinarily fragile... and as much as I hated to admit it, even cute. I rest my hand against my face. "I'm beginning to wonder whether this was a good idea..."

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

I took a pair of Euphy's pajamas with me and knocked on the door to my room. "Oi... C.C. I brought you a pair of pajamas, since I'm pretty sure you didn't have any with you."

There was no response from inside the room, and I frowned as I knocked again, a faint worm of worry coming into my heart. "C.C.! Are you alright?"

I quickly turned the doorknob. "I'm coming in!"

The sight that greeted my eyes was the complete opposite of what I had expected. Instead of being unconscious or something, I found the green-haired girl fast asleep, curled up on my bed. I heaved a huge sigh of relief and walked into the room. "God... she actually had me worried there."

I walked over to the bed and gently shook her shoulder. "Hey... Get up. I brought you a pair of pajamas to we-"

Just then, I realized that she had already managed to clothe herself. From my closet. She was wearing one of the white dress shirts that I had in my closet. Since I was quite a bit taller than her, the shirt came down a little above her knees. "Why... Why are you wearing my clothes?"

Her eyes opened sleepily and gazed at me. She still seemed to be mostly asleep as she reached out a hand towards me. "...? What do you want?"

The moment I grabbed her hand, she tightened her hold and dragged me onto the bed. "W-W-WHAT THE HELL?"

She quickly wrapped her arms around me, preventing me from escaping. She might have looked weak, but her grip was vice-like. Try as I did, I couldn't break free from her hold. As I stared into her face, cursing my horrible luck, her mouth opened slightly, and a tiny voice came from it. "... don't... leave..."

My face flushed from her unexpected words. "Che~ Looks like there's no helping it." There was obviously no way for me to break free from her grasp, and it didn't seem likely that she would let me go anytime soon. I settled more comfortably into her embrace and closed my eyes. "Maybe... Maybe such an ending isn't too bad, after all."

With that, the exhaustion from the events of the day took its toll on me, and I felt my eyelids gradually becoming heavy. The last thing I saw before I fell asleep was the beautiful face of the woman sleeping next to me. "... good night, C.C."

As my amethyst eyes closed, her golden ones opened. A tender smile formed on her face and she planted a soft kiss on my forehead. "Good night, Lelouch... and thank you."

* * *

**Chapter 1 - A Chance Encounter**


	3. Book II Chapter 2: Unexpected

**Author's note: **Hey guys! I'm really sorry that I had to push back the release date by a few days. I had a good reason! Honest! I just graduated high school on the 14th, and I've been pretty much beat due to the ceremony and our Senior grad cruise afterwards. But, I managed to finish this within a reasonable timeframe... I guess.

A few things before we move on. Just last night, I had a sudden epiphany about what I should do with the plot of this story. (I pretty much usually just write until the story starts to make sense XD) Now, I can answer a few questions posed by my readers.

renielle14 - Yes, Suzaku and Mao will both be there. As you can probably guess, Mao is the primary crazy lunatic antagonist. I made Suzaku seem slightly less intelligent than he should be, just for laughs. But yes, they will both be there.

chichi511 - I had planned to have Euphy discover them the next morning, but I thought that would have been too predictable, so I messed with it a bit. Unfortunately, Euphy and Nunally will be pretty minor characters.

Well, that's all I have to say! I hope you enjoy the newest chapter of _Virtues of the Heart_, especially the now tsundere C.C.! :D

Until Next Time!

~TabiNoTochuu

* * *

**Book II**

**Chapter 2 - Unexpected **

I slowly woke up with a grunt. A warm, cozy feeling crept over my body as I blinked from the bright sunlight that filtered in through the window. "Mmh..."

I glanced down and nearly suffered a heart attack. There was a girl curled up against my own body, her head delicately resting on my chest. I could feel the soft sensation of her chest against my ,side as she slowly breathed in sleep. It was every man's dream to wake up in such a situation, and I took the most direct course of action.

I practically leapt out of the bed, and landed on the floor in a sprawl. There was a small moan from the bed, and the beautiful face of the girl who was, moments ago, sleeping beside me, appeared over the side of the bed. "Good morning... why are you on the floor this early in the morning?"

"W-What the hell are you talking about? W-Why are you on my bed?"

She gave me a confused look. "What are you talking about? You offered me your bed last night, and besides, it was you who came onto my bed."

"I... came onto your bed?" I rubbed my forehead. _Why don't I remember any of this?_

Suddenly, the events of the previous night flooded back into me. "Ah! That's right! I came to bring you some pajamas, and you pulled me by my wrist on to the bed, where you nearly killed me with your arms!"

Just then, I realized that she was still wearing my white dress shirt from the night before. What's more, I could easily tell that she wasn't wearing anything else underneath. A mischievous grin spread across her face as she realized what I was staring at. "What's this? Where does the cold-hearted Lelouch think he's looking?"

Too late, I tore my gaze away from her. "N-Nowhere!"

Her hand came forward and lightly cupped my chin. She brought my face around and placed a finger on my lips. "If you like what you see... perhaps, we could..."

I pushed her away and stood up shakily. "Don't go suggesting weird things! Now hurry up and get dressed. If you're not out by the time I finish breakfast, there won't be anything for you until lunch."

She yawned and sat up in the bed, one side of my dress shirt hanging dangerously low on her body. "Aw... What do you have to do today that you have to rush so much for?"

"Like I said yesterday, I have to go to school today. There's a test for my chemistry class, and I have to pass it in order to keep my perfect scores intact."

"Oh, poo. Who cares about grades anyways?"

Just then, a thought entered my head. "C.C... just how old are you? You look a little younger than me, so you should be going to school as well..."

She lightly hopped off my bed and walked toward the bathroom. "In that regard... I guess I'm like you. I don't really go to school often, and I only go once in a while to take important tests. Despite all that, I'm still near the top of my class. Seriously... the tests aren't that difficult, even if I don't study."

She paused in the doorway of the bathroom and glanced back at me. "I'm going to change now, so I suggest you stop standing there with your mouth open. Just for reference, I prefer a Western-style breakfast."

With that said, she walked into the bathroom and closed the door. I turned on my heel and left the room, my face bright red and practically steaming. "Guh... who does she think she is? It's only been a day, and she already makes it feel like this is _her_ home..."

I shook my head and headed into the kitchen.

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

"Fuah~ That was better than I expected!" Her golden eyes glanced over at me. "Who knew you could be such a talented cook?"

"I have to keep up my culinary skills in order to feed my sisters. Besides, in our world, having the ability to cook can come in handy. It's much healthier than buying food from a convenience store or going to restaurants."

She smirked at me. "I think I like this feminine side of you."

"Be quiet, you witch. I'm going to school now. I expect you to be gone when I get home."

"Fufufu... Looks like I touched a nerve there."

I got up from the table, and without a backwards glance, headed out the door. As I began my ten-minute walk to school, I thought back to the girl who, just yesterday, was a complete stranger to me. I lifted my hand and stared at the gold ring on my left hand. That one ring had been bothering me ever since I met C.C.

There were two letters etched into the soft outer band of gold. _C.C... I wonder if this ring has anything to do with her? It's all too coincidental for my liking... _I shook my head and continued to walk. "Anyways... She'll be gone when I get home."

At that I feel a twinge of guilt. Why did I have to kick her out of my house? It really seemed like she had nowhere to go, and it really didn't bother me that much to have her stay. I groaned and rubbed my forehead. "... fine, fine... When I get home, I'll tell her she can stay. I'm almost certain that she'll still be there..."

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

I opened the door to my classroom and walked in. Naturally, it was still a bit early, and only a few other students were in the class. "Hey, Lelouch!"

I looked over at one of the desks to see my friend, Suzaku Kururugi, already sitting down, reading a textbook. "Why are you here so early, Suzaku?"

He gave a small groan in frustration. "What do you think? I'm not as smart as you are... I actually need to study for my tests. Which reminds me, do you think you could teach me about this? I've been going at it for almost an hour now, and I still can't get it..."

I sat down next to him and began to tutor him for the next few minutes. The bell rang just as I finished my explanation, and I got up to return to my seat. "Just remember that, and you should be fine. Don't forget to use the first formula only when-"

My voice cut off in my throat as I noticed a person come into the classroom. Her waist-length green hair spiraled around her as she took a seat directly behind mine. "Oi... Lelouch... who are you staring at?" Suzaku's voice barely reached my mind. "Lelouch?"

I walked down the classroom and stood next to the green-haired girl's desk. "You... C.C... What are you doing here?"

She glanced up at me with a bored expression on her face. "Did I forget to tell you? I go to the same school as you. You just haven't noticed me sitting behind you since you're so ignorant and childish."

"Guh... Don't call me-"

Just then, the teacher walked into the room, and I quickly returned to my seat after giving her one final venomous look. Seeing her self-satisfied grin didn't help my attitude at all. The teacher quickly passed out the tests and started the timer. I began to quickly work on the problems, trying to finish as fast as possible so I could retreat to my secluded hideout.

Twenty minutes into the test, I had already finished. I stood up and walked up to the teacher's desk and promptly handed her my test. With that, I quickly left the classroom, headed for the roof. From my pocket, I pulled out a worn-out key and unlocked the door. Normally, the school's roof was closed to students, but this key I received from a graduating friend allowed me to turn the roof into my own safe haven.

I took a seat on one of the small benches there and stretched myself. "... who would have thought she went to the same school as me? I don't think I've ever noticed that she sat behind me..."

Suddenly, a wave of fatigue washed over my body, and my eyelids began to droop. "I'll just rest... for a little while. Just..."

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

My eyes opened slowly. The sun was already beginning to set, and the roof was becoming rather cold. "Crap... I slept for too long."

Just then, a voice next to me spoke up. "You finally woke up, huh? I was getting worried that you'd sleep too long."

I looked over, not surprised to see C.C. sitting right next to me, her head resting on my shoulder. "Why are you here?"

Her eyes wouldn't meet mine, and her face turned a light shade of red. "I-It's not like I'm worried about you or something... I just happened to see you go to the roof, and I thought I should keep you company, since you fell asleep."

It was then that I realized that her jacket was carefully draped around my shoulders. "Ah... Is this... your jacket?"

Her face turned an even brighter red, and she began to stammer at me. "D-Don't think I was worried! I-It's just... I-It was c-c-cold, so I thought I w-would..."

I reached out and laid my hand on her head. I felt her body stiffen suddenly against mine before she slowly relaxed again. "Don't worry about it. … um... Thank you, C.C."

She smirked at me. "Don't mention it. I was just- Achoo!" She suddenly sneezed, violently.

I realized that, by giving her jacket to me, she must have been sitting there, with me, in the cold air on the roof for who knows how long. I quickly took her jacket and wrapped it around her. "You must be freezing... Let me make it up to you by treating you to something warm, alright?"

She delicately wiped her nose and looked at me. "... I'd like that."

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

I sat across the table from C.C. and watched as she nursed her third coffee. From what I could tell, she had been absolutely freezing, yet she continued to sit by my side. She even took the trouble to cover me with her own jacket, to make sure I would stay warm. She raised her eyes from the cup of coffee in front of her and gave me a look. "You've been staring at me for a while now... is there something wrong?"

"No... it's just... nothing."

She tilted her head at me and smirked at my discomfort. "Hmm? Are you sure there isn't something else that you wanted to tell me?"

"Ah... Um... about what I said this morning..."

Her smile quickly dropped off her face, and she looked down at her cup. "It's fine, Lelouch. I understand. You don't want someone like me staying in your house." She got up and laid some money for her coffee on the table. "Don't worry... I won't be there when you get home today."

I leaned forward and grabbed her wrist as she walked past me. "Wait, C.C. That wasn't what I was going to say." I coughed and avoided looking at her as I continued. "Since... Since it feels like you have nowhere else to go, I guess... you can stay for a while longer."

"Hmm? What's with the sudden change of heart? Perhaps you're feeling a little guilty about kicking such a beautiful girl out of your house?"

"Be quiet, witch... True, I did feel a bit guilty, but that's not the real reason why I'm letting you stay."

"Oh? Then... would you let me hear your reason?"

"It's just..." I gave a sigh of frustration. Why was it so hard for me to talk to her? "Never mind..."

"Well... I'm not one to pry for secrets." She turned around and smiled at me. "But... thank you."

I could feel my face heat up from her words, and I quickly stood up and turned to the door. "I'm going to go home now. You're coming, right?"

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

We walked out of the coffee shop and into the street. The sun had just set, leaving us there in the dim twilight. We had no long begun to walk when I felt her arms wrap around mine. Her body pressed lightly against mine, awakening feelings that I had never felt before. I decided not to say anything as we walked on through the ever-darkening streets.

Suddenly, without warning, she stopped underneath a streetlight. I glanced at her over my shoulder. "C.C., is something wrong?"

She shook her head slightly, but didn't move from her spot under the light. I slowly walked over and laid a hand on her head. "Come on. You can tell me. I promise not to tell anyone else."

"Lelouch... would you consider yourself to be... rich?"

"Hm?" Her sudden question surprised me. "Well... we have enough to live by, but no. We're not rich."

"Would... Would you still have offered me the same kindness as you've shown me these last few days if you knew I was a rich person?"

"...?" Her question seemed extremely strange. I've never had anyone ask me something like that before, and I really didn't know how to answer. "I don't think that matters. Why should one's social class determine whether or not I should show them kindness? To be kind and help others is to be human. If someone were to refuse help for someone due to social class or some other difference, that person would be lower than dirt in my eyes. Does that answer your question?"

She walked forward and buried her face in my chest. Her sudden action surprised me, and I stood rooted to the spot for a brief second before I hesitantly put my arms around her. Her body felt surprisingly small and I felt the innate urge to hug her close to myself and comfort her.

C.C. pushed herself away from me and gave me a shaky smile. "Yes, Lelouch... It did."

I turned and walked out of the ring of light. "Come on, C.C... I'll make you some hot tea when we get-"

I turned back just in time to see her sway and collapse. "C.C.!"

I pumped as much power into my legs as possible and caught her before she could hit the ground. As my arms wrapped around her, I realized that she was burning hot. _She must have been getting weaker from this fever! Why didn't she say anything to me?_

"Hey! C.C.! Are you alright?"

Her eyes slowly opened, glassy and dull from fatigue. "I-I'm fine, Lelouch... It's just a small cold..."

"Idiot! If you weren't feeling well, you should have told me! Look at you! You just collapsed a second ago, and now you're trying to convince me you're fine? How could you have been so negligent of your own health that you wouldn't even tell someone that you're not feeling well?"

Her eyes widened slightly at my outburst, and her hand came up and rested against my cheek. "... I didn't... I didn't want to make you worried about me."

"Now's not the time to worry about things like that! I want you to promise the next time you're not feeling well, that you'll tell me. When we get home, I'm going to have to nurse you back to health..."

"... I'm sorry for being such a burden to you..."

My expression softened, and I stood up with her in my arms, bridal-style. "... idiot. Don't worry about that. I'll be happier once you're healthy again."

"Yes..." She gave in to the exhaustion and closed her eyes. Moments later, her soft snores reached my ears, and I relaxed a tiny bit. With her still in my arms, I began my walk home.

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

**C.C. POV**

I moaned softly and opened my eyes, instantly regretting my choice. The soft light in the room assaulted my eyes, causing a nail of pain to shoot through my head. "Ugh..." I pushed myself up and took a look around.

"Ah... This is... Lelouch's room?" Just then, I became aware of something heavy on my legs. I looked down to see Lelouch, asleep with his head gently resting on my legs.

I noticed that he had taken the trouble to take off my heavy outer clothes, which were neatly folded on a chair nearby. He had covered me with two thick quilts and it even looked like he managed to feed me some sort of rice porridge while I was delirious. I could feel tears threatening to break free from my eyes as I thought about just how much he had done for me, a person he had only met a couple of days ago.

Suddenly, he grunted and shook himself awake. Seeing me sitting up, a tender expression I've never seen before spread across his face. "Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Better... I'm at least aware of my surroundings now."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness... You had a fever of 104 degrees Fahrenheit, and I was worried that it might have damaged your brain."

He reached out and laid his hand against my forehead. "Hmm... It still feels a bit hot, but the worst of it seems to be gone."

"... I'm sorry for having you care for me for the last few hours."

He gave me a strange look. "C.C... You've been out of it for nearly three days now. Are you sure you're okay?"

_T-T-Three days? _"Have... Have I really been out of it for so long?"

He nodded and sat back. I looked at his face and noticed the dark rings underneath his eyes. It was clear that he had barely slept these last few days. "I was getting worried when you didn't wake up the next day."

"I didn't... say anything weird, did I?"

He hesitated for a brief second before he nodded slightly. "You... uh... asked me to do something for you."

"...? What might that be?"

His face flushed red. "Y-You wanted me to call your name like your lover would..."

Great. Now it was my turn to feel embarrassed. That must mean... that I had revealed my real name to him sometime during the past three days. What's more... I asked him to do such an embarrassing thing... "Y-You know... I didn't intend for you to learn my real name... Why did you have to eavesdrop? That's a rude habit to get into."

"Shut up! I wasn't eavesdropping... It was just... while I was feeding you, it kind of just slipped out of your mouth..."

We both slipped into an awkward silence, neither one knowing exactly what to say to the other. Suddenly, he stood up and walked to the door. "I f-forgot! I had some tea and rice porridge that I had meant to bring up. I'll go get those for you right now!"

He quickly ran out of the room, leaving me there alone with my thoughts.

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

**Lelouch POV**

I ran out of C.C.'s room and quickly leaned myself against the wall, my heart pounding. I slowly walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, where a pot of rice porridge bubbled quietly on the stove. I turned off the stove, and ladled some of the thick rice-based gruel into a bowl, adding a little dried meat on top for flavor.

"C.C... No... Cera Ciel." I couldn't believe my ears when I heard her tell me, in her sickness-induced state, that her name was Cera Ciel.

Even a lowly student like me has heard of the legendary Ciel family. In this city, they practically rule over everything, and it's rumored that even the governor's power can't surpass theirs. The current head of the Ciel family, and all of its businesses, is Alphonse Ciel. However, all that isn't important. What is important is that the sole heir to the Ciel family's fortune is Alphonse's only daughter, Cera. However, she was rarely seen by the public, and it was rumored that she was a secluded girl, preferring the stay away from the outside world.

My thoughts returned to the sick and fragile girl in my room, just a mere floor above. Could she be the same person? And if she was the daughter and heir of the Ciel family, why was she roaming around, choosing to stay with an ordinary student like me?

That, and a million other questions flashed through my head. However, I decided to let her tell me herself if she chose to. If she didn't want to tell me, I wasn't going to force her to tell me.

I took a deep breath and composed myself before I started up the stairs, the tray with the tea and rice porridge in my hands.

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

I knocked softly on the door. "C.C.? I'm coming in."

She hadn't moved from where she was, and her face was unreadable. I took the tray and carefully set it down on the small table on the floor. "Do you need help getting up?"

She shook her head, but then, after attempting to get up and failing to do so, she bashfully turned towards me and reached out a hand. "If you need help, don't hesitate to ask me... I'm not going to refuse you help, unless it's a completely unreasonable request, of course."

She clung to my body as I slowly began to lift her out of the bed. As I did so, she suddenly squeezed my neck and stared into my eyes. "...? What is it?"

"I... I have a request to make of you." She bit her lip, then the words came out in a jumble, so fast that I nearly missed it. "C-Call me by my r-real name again! Do it like my l-l-l-lover would."

"Eh?"

"Do it, or I won't forgive you for learning my real name without my permission."

This girl... her attitudes change faster than anyone else that I could name. "Alright, alright, I got it..."

I held her close to my body and turned so I was directly facing her. "Cera."

Her body trembled as I called her name and a small, satisfied smile spread across her face. "H-How was that?"

"No good, no good at all. However, I guess I can give you points for effort."

My face reddened as I realized how close our faces were to each other. "Cera..."

I leaned in closer and gently pressed my lips against hers. When she offered no resistance, I put a little more force behind my lips. She pulled back and smiled at me. "Well... isn't this the first time you've initiated the kiss? This should be such a rare event too..."

"Be quiet, witch."

"Well, anyways, I accept your feelings. I hope you know what you're doing."

"...?" I stared at her in confusion. I had no idea at all what she was talking about.

She grinned at me and tightened her hold around my neck. "For you to discover my real name... well... It doesn't matter. What matters is, I have accepted you to be my lover."

I stared at her for a full minute before I could even form a coherent response. "WHATTTTTTT?"

Looks like my troubles with this green-haired girl won't end with just her staying at my house.

* * *

**Chapter 2 - Unexpected**


	4. Book II Chapter 3: Entwined Fates

**Author's note: **Hey guys! I'm really sorry that this chapter came out a bit later than I expected. I'm sure you can understand. It's summer, and I tend to get... a bit lazy with nothing else to do. But, I still managed to finish more or less near the expected release date.

Truthfully, I don't really have anything to say for this release, other than the fact that past this chapter, the drama will begin, with conflict from sources I refuse to reveal at this time.

So, yeah. Please enjoy the newest chapter of _Virtues of the Heart!_ (Now with 33% more Euphemia!)

One final thing. If you have time, please leave me a review or shoot me a PM. I love hearing from my readers, and your input and suggestions help me create better material for my future chapters!

Until next time!

~TabiNoTochuu

* * *

**Book II**

**Chapter 3 - Entwined Fates**

"WHATTTTT?"

My scream rang out through the otherwise calm and peaceful morning. I stared in shock at the green-haired witch that I held in my arms. Upon seeing my expression, she burst into laughter and pushed her body away from me with what strength she could muster. "What, did you think I was serious? That's not the way a devil like yourself should be thinking, right? Or... perhaps you've already fallen for my charms?"

I could only stare at her in shock, unable to speak for several seconds. Quickly, my sense of reality returned to me, and I felt my anger rise. "Why would you pull such a prank? Do you know how much you surprised me?"

Her face changed slightly. "... was what I said really that surprising? I did not expect you to have such a strong reaction... Do you really dislike me that much?"

The sight of her face caused my anger to disappear instantly. True, her sudden declaration surprised me greatly, but there wasn't any reason for me to get angry, right? I sighed and pulled her close again. I gently picked her up and set her down next to the low table. "No... it's not that. It's not that I don't like you... I just really wasn't expecting you to say something like that. Of all the things I thought you would say, that was the last."

She puffed up her cheeks and pouted at me. "Am I not allowed to be spontaneous at times? I can't just keep acting exactly the same every single day..."

"Uhm... Can I ask you something? You don't have to answer me if you don't want to."

"Hmm... depending on what it is, I may or may not answer."

"Why... Why did you say that, back then?"

Her face instantly turned a bright scarlet as she turned away to avoid my gaze. "Well... You have to understand... Being the heir to the Ciel family's entire fortune, my father tried to turn me into the "model" child. However, that recently has involved choosing someone for me to marry. In order to further increase our family's standing and prestige, he's been sending suitor after suitor my way..."

I shook my head in amazement. To think, that in today's society, that arranged marriages could still take place. "I take it you pretty much hate all of them."

She nodded in agreement. "They're all pretty much horrible people. None of them actually love me, but rather, they want to get their hands on my family's fortunes. To them, I'm simply a tool to help them realize that goal."

The pieces of the puzzle were finally starting to fall into place. "But, why me? You could have picked any other guy, and I'm certain they would have been happy to accept you."

She laughed in derision. "Don't screw with me. When I managed to convince my father to let me attend Ashford Academy, the rumors instantly spread that I was the legendary heir of the Ciel family. Since then, everyone seemed to want to be my friend. It was exactly the same as home. No one around me was someone that I could truly call my friend. Sure, they were all nice people, but they all seemed to want to cozy up to me since I was the heir to the Ciel family... All except for one boy who sat in front of me."

I was completely taken aback by her answer. She had chosen me simply because I hadn't paid attention to her? "Wait, wait, wait. How do you know that I would accept you? You were betting quite a lot on the fact that I wouldn't care about your social standing..."

She smiled gently and reached out to touch my knee. "I was betting a fair bit, but it looks like my gamble paid off. I finally found someone who truly doesn't care that I'm the heir to the Ciel family."

I felt a lump form in my throat as an indescribable feeling coursed through my body. I reached down and pushed her hand off my knee and stood up. "C.C... no... Cera, there's something you should know. I don't think I can move on that quickly..."

"I... see..." From those two words, I could feel the entire weight of her disappointment and fear. Fear that she would eventually be forced to marry someone who was, essentially, a complete stranger to her.

I sat down next to her and, before my courage deserted me, put an arm around her shoulders. "Kya! L-Lelouch? W-What are y-y-you doing?"

"B-Be quiet! This is embarrassing for me as well... What I wanted to say was... if you want to make this work, I think we should start from the beginning."

She turned her head and stared at me hopefully, her eyes filled with longing. "From the beginning?"

"Yeah... If you want me to go along with your plan, shouldn't we get to know each other first? Despite everything, I still barely know anything about you. Likewise, I don't think you know much about me either.

She placed a finger over her lips thoughtfully and sighed. "I guess you're right... but I do want to know more about Lelouch."

My face felt like it was on fire as I coughed and turned away to avoid looking at her. "W-Well then, d-d-do you want me to formally a-ask you out?"

Her face brightened as well, but she slowly started to smile as she picked up the cup of tea from the table and took a sip. "Well, since this was my plan to begin with, shouldn't I be the one who confesses to you?"

I covered my face with one hand. _Why is she the only person to make me feel like this? I still don't even know what she's thinking half the time... _"If... If you want."

"Good. In that case, I'm sure you can wait until I'm ready." She turned away from me and faced the bowl of rice porridge still on the table. "Now then, since you so kindly offered to take care of me, I'd like you to feed me my porridge."

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

C.C. wiped the last of the rice porridge off her mouth, and sat back with a content expression on her face. "Ahhh~ I'm completely stuffed! You even managed to make the rice porridge taste completely unlike the tasteless mush that I was expecting!"

I couldn't help but feel slightly happy at her praise. It was nice to have someone else eating the food that I made, even if that person happened to annoy me to no end. "Well, it should taste amazing. After all, I cooked this for two hours straight using my secret methods."

She straightened up and looked over at me. "So, Lelouch. What are we going to do today? We have a full day to do whatever we want, and I don't think you want to stay in this house all day, do you?" A grin spread over her face. "Well... I can understand why you'd want to stay in the house with me."

"I need to go shopping today. I'm running low on groceries, and I also need to buy some other things for the house."

I stood up from the table and picked up my jacket. As I neared the door, I heard the scraping of a chair behind me, and, a moment later, she appeared next to me. I expected her to follow me, but I kept my face neutral. "Are you sure you want to come? Shouldn't you be resting? I'm sure being sick for so long tired you out..."

She shook her head viciously and pulled on her shoes. "I'm coming along, and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

I suppressed my grin and held the door open for her. She might be a complex person, but sometimes, she was extremely easy to read.

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

We walked out of the grocery store with a few bags of vegetables and meats that I would be using for dinner the next few days. We had spent far too long shopping for groceries, and as we came out, it was already starting to get dark. As we walked through the streets back to my house, she suddenly stopped. "Hm? What's wrong, C.C.?"

Without another word, she grabbed my arm and pulled me across the street and onto the small beach on the other side. This was built a few years back in order to provide the people of this town a place to "visit" the beach, even though it was too small to actually allow many people on it. However, in my opinion, it was a nice addition to the town, and I often spent time here, in a secluded area, with a book and canned juice or coffee. C.C. stopped in the middle of the small, man-made beach and stood there, looking out at the sea in front of her.

I set the bags of groceries down and stood next to her. "Have you never been to the sea before?"

She shook her head and continued to stare into the distance. "... my father thought it would be unfitting for a person of my standing to go to the same beach as 'commoners' go to, so he made our own beach. However, it wasn't the same as the real thing..."

She took off her shoes and dug her toes into the sand, her eyes closed in bliss. As I watched, she spun around in circles like a child, and allowed herself to fall backwards onto the sand. A grin spread over my face as I walked over and sat down next to her. She sat up and leaned against me, her eyes still directed at the ocean. "... Hey, Lelouch. Can I ask you something?"

"Mmh? Well... I might not answer you, but go ahead."

"What... what's your family like?"

I turned toward her in surprise. Why did she want to know about that? "My family? … well... I guess you can't say we have the best family in the world... My mother died when I was young, a victim of the same disease that almost killed Nunally. As for my father... I can't stand him. After our mother died, he left us alone, practically abandoning us. The only indication that he still remembers we're his children is the money he sends us every month, which pays for all the bills, with some left over should we need it."

"That's... terrible... What kind of parent would leave their own children like that?"

"What about you? What kind of people are your parents?"

A bitter smile formed on her face as she turned her gaze back over the water to the final rays of the sun as it made way for the moon. "Well... I think you have a basic idea of what my father is like, but I think I should elaborate. He's been the head of the Ciel family since he was twenty-eight years old. Ever since I was small, he's never been the father figure to me. He cares more about the well-being of his business than he does about me. To him, I'm nothing more than an asset that he can use to further the Ciel family's reputation."

She moved a little closer to me and rested her head on my shoulder. Her hand, behind her body, landed on mine. "My mother, on the other hand, isn't like my father. She would care for me when he wouldn't, and if you had seen us, you wouldn't even have known that I had a father. However, as I began to grow up, the various lessons and activities planned by my father in order to train me to be the 'perfect' child began to pull me away from my mother for longer and longer periods of time. There would be times that I wouldn't see her for months."

She gripped my hand as her body began to shake. "And then, just three years ago, while I was sent to the country of Britannia to take part in some camp, I learned that a few days after I had left, my mother had passed away. I immediately rushed home, and, would you believe it? My father sent me back to Britannia almost the moment I came home. While I was on my way home, they had already had a funeral for my mother. From what I heard, my father wasn't even present at the ceremony."

She laughed and wiped her eyes. "I should be embarrassed to have let you see such a weak side to my nature..."

I gently squeezed her hand and looked out over the ocean as the stars began to fill the night sky. "You shouldn't be ashamed to express your emotions like this. In fact, I'm surprised to see that a witch like you could even show such a wide range of emotions."

She gave what sounded like half a sob and half a laugh. "Lelouch... If you're trying to make me feel better, you're doing a crappy job at it."

I grinned and laid back on the sand, still warm from having the sun heat it all day. "Hey... C.C... There's something I'd like to ask."

"I'll answer it, but on one condition."

"Hm? What's that?"

"F-From now on, I want you to call me by my real name."

I closed my eyes. "Alright... Cera. There's something I wanted to ask you... Would your father even consider it if you told him you wanted to marry a commoner?"

Her face turned serious, and she laid down next to me, her eyes fixed on the stars above. "No... he probably wouldn't. To him, the family is such an important matter that if I were to even mention that I had fallen for anyone that wasn't of a substantial social ranking, he wouldn't hesitate to disown me and ensure that I would never meet that person again."

"That's... terrible..."

She turned her head toward me and gave me a sad smile. "Unfortunately, that's just the way my family works... Even if I wanted to change it, there's no way to change my father's mind if he believes what he is doing is correct. There won't even be a chance to argue..."

"Have you ever tried to tell him how you feel? That you dislike being treated the way you do now?"

She nodded. "Of course. I try as often as I can, but he no longer sees me as often as before. I barely see him on a monthly basis now... Before, he would at least come to see me once a week. However, I think I like this better. I'd rather not have to see him anymore."

I sat there for a while in silence, contemplating what I had heard from her. Her situation was extremely similar to mine, which explained why, at certain points, I felt so comfortable around her. I stood up and brushed the now-cold sand off my pants and held out my hand to her. "Come on, Cera. Let's go home."

As I pulled her to her feet, I suddenly stopped as something cold brushed my neck. I looked up in surprise as I realized that it had begun to snow. What was strange was that it was way too early for any snow to be falling. Cera stared at the sky for a few seconds, then began to run around the beach with her arms spread wide open. Her child-like laughter echoed through the empty beach, and I felt a strong urge to join her.

She came up in front of me and stood there with her eyes closed. "Hey Lelouch... do you know why snow is white?"

Her hand came up and delicately caught a single snowflake before it could touch the ground. "Snow is white because it has forgotten what color it's supposed to be. I believe that all humans are the same. We're always searching for that color; the thing that makes our lives fulfilling and worthwhile."

She opened her eyes and looked at me, her hands still outstretched and open, with a tiny pool of water where the snowflake used to be. "Do you believe in something like that?"

"Well... in a sense." I reached out and caught another snowflake in my palm. "I'm don't know the real reason why snow is white, but I do not dislike it. I guess what I believe in is that we have to make the best of what we have, and to always strive for what we can achieve."

She took a step forward and wrapped her arms around my body, letting us share in each other's warmth. "I see... Perhaps... perhaps I have already found what makes my life worthwhile, but I just refuse to accept it."

I lowered one of my hands and gently stroked her long, silky hair. "Is that so... then maybe you should accept it. Who knows? Maybe whatever you were expecting could really become reality."

"My, my... you certainly do have a way with words, don't you. But don't think your amateurish style of sweet talking will be enough to melt my heart."

I grinned at her usual teasing and sarcastic tone. "Of course not. I would expect nothing less of a witch like you."

Suddenly, I found myself face to face with her, her lips only a few centimeters away from mine. "You can't possibly melt my heart... because... it's already thawed and beating again."

I barely had time to be surprised when I felt her lips, warm and soft, against mine. After that, it felt like any hint of reason within my mind utterly vanished as I held her against my body. Only a minute passed, but to me, it felt like it had been an entire lifetime. I finally had to pull away in order to provide air to my oxygen-deprived lungs.

For a brief moment, we just stood there, staring at each other. Then, all of a sudden she blushed furiously and turned away from me. "I'm s-s-sorry!"

"Wait!" I caught her wrist and pulled her back into my arms.

I held her against my body until, gradually, I felt her both her breathing and heart rate slow down to their normal speeds. "Have you calmed down a bit, Cera?"

"Y-Yeah..."

I let her go and walked back to pick up the groceries. "Anyways... shouldn't it have been me that should be embarrassed? I mean, you were the one who acted so suddenly..."

"S-Shut up... don't bring that up right now!"

She slowly got up from the sand and walked over to where I stood. Together, we walked off the beach and back down the road toward our house. At that, I had to smile for a second. Since when had I begun to think of my house as "our" house?

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

I picked up the dishes and took them into the kitchen. As I begun to wash up, my thoughts turned to Cera. Ever since we had gotten home, she was extremely quiet, and barely seemed to notice what was going on around her. I sighed as I dried a dish and stacked it with the other finished ones. "That Cera... I seriously don't know what to make of her... I still don't understand what she's thinking half the time."

I paused for a second as my thoughts turned back to what had happened on the beach.I reached up and touched my lips. _That C.C... she's always doing things like this. I never know what to expect when I'm around her._

A sudden noise behind me caused me to whirl around in surprise. I had been so engrossed with my own thoughts that I had not paid attention to my surroundings at all. I turned, expecting to see C.C. behind me, about to tease me in some way or another. Instead, I found myself face to face with Euphemia. "Euphy! Don't sneak up on me like that... you know how much I hate it."

She giggled and leaned against the wall. "Sorry, Onii-chan. I can't help but tease you when I see you in the kitchen, washing the dishes so defenseless."

I continued to wash and dry the remaining dishes. "So? Did you want to ask me something? Or did you just want to bother me while I'm working."

She quieted down and stood in the doorway for a few seconds. Just when I thought she was going to leave, she spoke up quietly. "Hey... onii-chan? What's your relationship with C.C. like?"

Her question came so abruptly that I didn't know what to say. "O-Our relationship? S-She's just a friend that I'm letting stay here due to her... family issues."

Euphy shook her head. "Onii-chan... Don't lie to me, okay? I know that she's just met you. I also know that you two slept together in the same bed yesterday night."

My face flared red as I heard her words. "W-W-What are you t-t-talking about? How do you even know all this?"

She smirked in a way that was extraordinarily similar to C.C. "One, you should really keep your door closed if you want things to be private. Two, since C.C. seemed a bit upset after dinner, I decided to talk to her to see if I could cheer her up. While talking, she revealed quite a few interesting things."

"Guh... That damn witch..."

Euphy walked over and took a dish from my hands and promptly pushed me away from the sink. "OW! Euphy, what was that for?"

"I can take care of the dishes. You should go spend more time with your girlfriend... it seems like she really wants you to pay more attention to her."

I froze. C.C... wanted me to pay more attention to her? She hadn't given me any real sign that she wanted me to do such a thing, but yet, she either revealed or hinted at this to Euphy. I sighed and threw up my hands in defeat. "Alright, alright. I get it. You're more than capable of handling the dishes on your own. If you really say that she wants me to pay attention to her, then I guess I have no choice but to do that, right?"

Euphy gave me a wicked grin that sent chills down my spine. I hadn't known my innocent little sister could make such a... creepy facial expression. "Go on, onii-chan... She's waiting for you in your room. I'm sure you'll do well."

With a final laugh, she all but forced me out of the kitchen.

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

I gently knocked on the door to my room. "Hey... C.C. Are you still awake in there?"

From inside, I heard her muffled voice as she responded dully. "What do you think? As if anyone could get any sleep with such a loud idiot boy outside."

I ignored her sarcastic insult and laid a hand on the doorknob. "C.C... may I come in?"

"Well... since you destroyed any chance of me falling asleep right now, I guess you can."

I opened the door and walked into my room, carefully closing the door behind me. "Um... C.C.? Can we talk?"

She sat up in bed and hugged her knees to her chest. "We're talking right now, but I'm guessing that's not what you mean. Go ahead, then. Say what you need to."

I bunched up my fists as my mind began to wonder what exactly I was doing here. Then, Euphy's words echoed through my mind. _"...it seems like she really wants you to pay more attention to her."_

"Cera... Uhm... Tomorrow... would you possibly... want to go out on a date?"

Her eyes widened and she stared at me in surprise. "W-What do you think you're saying? Don't just go asking things like that out of the blue!"

"If you don't want to go, all you have to do is say so! Don't think this isn't embarrassing for me!"

She turned her head away from me, but her eyes occasionally darted back to look at me. "... Alright then. Show me tomorrow just how much of a man you can be. Do badly, and I'll be fixated on my idea that you're a woman at heart."

I gave a sigh of relief at her acceptance. Then, she glanced down slightly, her face red. "In that case... I'd like to make my own request of you. W-Would you... sleep h-h-here tonight?"

"W-What? W-Why would you suggest s-s-something like that?"

"Well... yesterday, I woke up in the middle of the night, and you were in my bed... and it made me feel... really happy for some reason..."

I couldn't come up with a coherent response, and stood there, dumbfounded at the fact that only daughter of an insanely powerful and rich family just asked me to sleep in the same bed as her. All reason left my body, and, as if from a distance, I felt myself nod.

She lifted the covers and I hesitantly slipped into the bed. She turned off the lights, and instantly, we were enveloped by the complete darkness. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I turned so that I was face to face with C.C. Suddenly, I felt her delicate arms wrap around my body as her voice whispered into my ear. "Lelouch... why did you act the way you did just then? You surprised me by asking me out on a date..."

"W-Well... it seemed like you were feeling a little lonely, so I decided that I should try and spend more time with you..."

"Does that mean if I do choose you as my real lover, you'll stay by me no matter what happens?"

I gulped as she brought herself closer to me, her face only an inch or two away from mine. In my mind, I had already made up my decision, though a few days ago, such a thought wouldn't even have crossed my mind. "... I promise. No matter what, I will never leave you, Cera."

"Good. In that case, let's make this a contract between you and I. We'll promise to support each other, no matter what the situation may be."

As I lay there, her content and happy face was a better reward than I ever could have asked for. _Perhaps... such a future isn't too bad._

I felt her nudge me with her shoulder. "Lelouch... I have to ask. How did you know I was feeling a bit lonely? I don't think I made it at all apparent."

"Well... Euphy told me. She said that she had a talk with you, and she uhm... she hinted that you were feeling lonely and that I should give you some more attention."

"Is that so?" She nestled herself closer to me and buried her face in my chest. Her next words were so soft I almost didn't hear them. "... I need to thank that girl... Besides... I never actually did get to talk with her. She seems like someone I'm going to like..."

My face flared up with embarrassment and I silently cursed Euphy in my head. _She must be laughing her head off now that her plan was successful._ But, as the breathing of the green-haired girl in my arms relaxed, I grudgingly offered her a single _thanks. _After I made sure C.C. was definitely sleeping, I stared up at the ceiling and sighed. "... she's turning out to be such a strategist... I wonder who she gets _that_ talent from?"

Slowly, the rise and fall of C.C.'s chest began to lull me to sleep, and I closed my eyes, both dreading and anticipating the events of tomorrow.


	5. Book II Chapter 4: A Moonlit Night

**Author's note: **It feels like I'm back from the dead after not uploading for so long. However, I was away in an area of China that I was unable to access the internet from, so I had no real way to do anything except fiddle with what I had so far. But now, after a long delay, I proudly present the fourth chapter in the sequel to _Colors of My Soul_!

After some consideration, I've made a bit of a change to my plans to the rest of the series, mostly regarding the thrid book. Instead of making another AU story, I'm considering a return to the Code Geass universe, with a few twists. I'm still not sure where I'm going in that regard, but that's something I'll work out as this story continues.

The only other thing I have to say is to the one flamer who so kindly decided to comment on my work. This is something that I believe should apply to all writers. A good writer isn't one who tailors his/her stories to the views of their readers. Instead, they should write based on what they want to happen. To the one flamer, I'm sorry my stories doesn't fit your views. But, if you don't like it, kindly stop reading. I write because this is what my imagination gave birth to.

**Until Next Time!**

~TabiNoTochuu

**P.S.** Everyone else who reads and reviews my work, with constructive criticism, is more than welcome to do so (You guys are awesome, by the way). I just despise those who decide they need to point out all the flaws in a person's work without feeling the need to suggest how something might be better written.

* * *

**Book II**

**Chapter 4 - A Moonlit Night**

I groaned and squeezed my eyes closed even tighter as a persistent and extremely annoying sound reached my ears. I reached out and began to blindly grope around for the alarm clock I kept next to my bed. With a sigh of exasperation, I slammed my hand down on the clock's snooze button, shutting off the alarm for a blissful few minutes.

As I shifted my body, there was a small moan from somewhere below my head, and I looked down to see the sleeping face of C.C. I smiled and reached down to stroke her hair. The sudden action surprised me, and I paused with my hand on her head. _In such a short amount of time... I've even begun to do things like this, huh? How attached have I gotten to her?_

I looked down again to find myself staring directly into her golden irises. "C.C.! When did you wake up?"

She yawned and closed her eyes again. "Don't stop... it felt good."

"Oi, oi... Don't just lay back down on me. It's time to get up anyways."

She lead back against me, her breathing already even and slow again. "Mnnn... 5 more minutes..."

With that said, her soft snores reached my ears not a few seconds later. I sighed and grinned as she leaned back against me. "Always doing what you want... ask for my permission the next time, you witch."

I placed my hand back on her head and resumed stroking her hair. In her sleep, she reached out and clutched my shirt with her hands, seemingly in response to me stroking her hair. After a short while, the warmth of our bodies, along with the strangely soothing sound of her breathing began to lull me back to sleep. _Just another 5 minutes or so... then I'll get up. Just another..._

My eyes slowly closed, and the black void of sleep took over my mind.

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

"... -ch."

My barely conscious mind registered a few syllables from somewhere near me, and I slowly began to wake up, grudgingly. What could it be, this early in the morning? Couldn't Euphy or Nunally tell that I was still asleep? I groaned and waved my hand blindly toward the source of the voice.

"-louch... -ke up."

As my mind began to wake up, I took stock of the situation. It was still, in my head, relatively early, and there was no way I was going to wake up now, when I was still able to get some sleep. I groaned again and waved more vigorously toward the sound of the voice. Even Euphy and Nunally knew that when I was still sleeping, it would be almost impossible to wake me up.

Suddenly, there was a sudden sting on my face. "Lelouch, wake UP!"

My eyes snapped open, and I found C.C.'s face barely an inch away from mine. I jerked back in surprise, and I would have fallen off the bed had she not been sitting on me. After I got over my initial surprise, I gave her a death glare that would have caused quite a few people to lose their cool. However, she was completely unfazed from my stare; she seemed almost bored. "What? What is it?"

"... I don't think you fully understand the situation you're in right now."

I stared at her in confusion. What situation could I possibly be in right now? True, she seemed more than a little pissed off, but I assumed that was due to the fact I refused to wake up when she called me. Then, as I gazed around the room, my eyes fell upon the alarm clock on the small table next to my bed. The illuminated display read 12:35 PM. "..." Wait. 12:35 PM?

I gave a strangled shout and sat straight up, nearly smashing my head against C.C.'s. "It's already this late?"

"That's why I was trying to wake you up? If you sleep any more, it's going to be dark when you next wake up."

I couldn't believe what I had heard. Perhaps, she had forgotten our promise of a date today? In any case, it should be my responsibility to wake up in time. "That's not the issue! If I had slept in any longer, we might have had to cancel our date today!"

Her face flushed an indescribable shade of crimson, and she began to splutter at me in a way that I knew meant she was extremely embarrassed.

Euphy picked the worst time ever to open the door. As she stuck her head inside to call us down for lunch, her eyes took in the scene: a completely red C.C. sitting on top of me, whose face was probably just as red as hers. And, naturally, she completely misinterpreted the situation. "My, my... I think you two are moving along nicely, aren't you?"

"GET OUT OF MY ROOM!"

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

I glared at Euphy throughout lunch, my eyes sending death rays across the table. She pretended not to notice and continued to chat normally with Nunally and C.C. "So? What are you two going to do today?"

I looked up from washing the dishes and stared at her. Then, I remembered my promise with C.C. from last night. I had asked her to go out with me on a date. But, now that I thought about it, I really didn't have anything planned. I wasn't sure just how high her expectations of me were, and, not knowing that, I wasn't sure how I was supposed to act in order to please her.

"Well... I didn't have too much planned. I was thinking that we should just wander around the shopping district. There's a lot to do over there, and I know the place pretty well."

Euphy made a disgusted face and stuck her tongue out at me. "What kind of a date is that? There's nothing at all creative or romantic about that... Onii-chan... you just made up that 'plan' off the top of your head, didn't you?"

I recoiled slightly. "D-Don't insult me like that... I haven't had experience with this sort of thing, so you can't blame me if I didn't plan very well..."

Euphy tossed something across the table toward me. I looked down and stared at the two tickets in front of me. "What's this?"

"Tickets to the new amusement park we went to a few weeks back. I was certain that you wouldn't be able to plan a decent date, so I did it for you. I also reserved a table for you two at a really nice restaurant my friend's father owns."

C.C. wiped her mouth and glanced over at Euphy. "... I'm fine with that. But, Lelouch's plan wasn't too bad either, given his lack of experience in these sort of things."

I slumped over, utterly defeated by these two. I picked up the two tickets and left to change my clothes.

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

I had just finished pulling a jacket around my shoulders when there was a knock on my door. "Who is it?"

Euphy opened the door and stepped in without a word. "Lelouch... are you unhappy with how I planned your date?"

I sighed and sat on the bed. "No, I'm not unhappy. It's just... I was surprised with how extensively you managed to plan everything out."

She smiled proudly and sat next to me. "Despite what it may seem, I do have quite a few contacts in important places. Arranging these favors were easy."

I laid a hand on her head and ruffled her hair. "... as much as I hate to say this after what you did last night, I can't ignore what you've done for me. Thanks."

Her smile slowly slipped off her face as she she laid back on my bed. "Hey... Onii-chan. Promise me one thing, okay? Promise me that you won't hurt C.C., and that you'll keep your promise with her."

"Why are you bringing that up right now?"

She propped herself up on her elbows and stared at the door. "I've talked with her a bit, and after I've spoken with her, I realized that she genuinely likes you. I don't want you to do something that might hurt her."

"I won't. I promised that I would stay with her and support her no matter what happens. I won't be a man if I can't keep that promise."

Euphy smiled again and gave me a gentle shove toward the door. "Go on, Onii-chan. She's waiting for you out in the living room. And, have fun."

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

I walked out into the living room and stopped in shock. C.C. stood there, in front of me, but she looked dramatically different than how she did normally. Her usual shirt and jeans had been replaced with a pure white dress, and her hair had been combed out.

She turned around and smiled when she saw me standing there. "Are you ready to go, Lelouch?"

I managed to stammer out something that sounded more or less like 'yes' before I resumed staring at her, still dumbfounded by how she looked. For some reason, her clothes seemed oddly familiar to me, though I couldn't quite remember why it was.

I felt a light tap on my cheek. "Lelouch... snap back to reality, will you? You've been staring at me for quite a while now." A small grin appeared on her lips. "I wonder... could you be mesmerized by my looks?"

I could tell she was teasing me, but I decided that I would answer her honestly. "... I am." Despite my embarrassment, I continued. "You're just too beautiful."

Her eyes opened wide with surprise at my words, which I said without any hint of sarcasm. "W-W-W-W-What did you just s-s-say?"

I took a deep breath and walked a step closer to her. I reached out and took her hand in mine, fighting off the sense of embarrassment that coursed through my body. "I said, you're beautiful. And don't look at me like you don't believe me. This is what I truly think."

Her face went completely red, but she looked happy nevertheless. I pulled her gently toward the door. "Come on now. We should leave now, or we won't be able to spend as much time as we'd like in the amusement park."

I led her out of the house and closed the door quietly behind me. With her hand still enclosed in mine, we walked down the street in the direction of the amusement park. Suddenly, after only a few minutes, C.C. stopped and stared upwards.

I glanced up as well and stood there in shock. On our street, there were a pair of sakura trees in a yard near the intersection. However, normally, at this point in the year, the branches of the sakura trees would be bare in preparation for the cold winter ahead. However, as we walked by it, I realized that the trees were filled with blossoms.

Next to me, C.C. reached out and caught a few of the falling petals as we stood there, between the two sakura trees. "That's strange... These normally only bloom in the Spring. Seeing these blossoms at this time of the year... is definitely strange."

Suddenly, a strong wind picked up, and a whirlwind of petals flew around us as we yelled in surprise from the sudden onslaught of wind. Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the wind stopped. However, when we looked back up at the two sakura trees, their branches were bare and empty; the blossoms that had been there only a few seconds ago had disappeared without a trace. "...? Was that... just my imagination?"

As I looked over at C.C., who stood there, just as confused as I was, I knew that it wasn't something I had imagined. What we had seen truly happened, though for what reason, I still didn't understand. I gently shook her shoulder. "C.C... we should get going."

She nodded, still in a bit of a daze. "R-Right. Let's go."

As we walked, it seemed to me that she was preoccupied, as if she were contemplating something that seeing the two sakura trees a minute ago had reminded her of. I carefully put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her body close to mine. "Is there something wrong? You've been awfully quiet after seeing those cherry blossoms."

She shook her head and forced a smile on her face. "No, it's nothing. Honestly."

Even though I could tell that it was a lie, I decided that I wouldn't press her for the truth. If she wanted to tell me, she would reveal it to me in due time. If she decided not to tell me, well, everyone was entitled to their own secrets, after all.

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

After some time, we reached the entrance of the amusement park. The park had been built around two years ago, and was the most modern amusement park within fifty miles. They were always adding some new things, so the park was always different every time you came.

I stopped at the admission gate and handed the employee our two tickets. After he ran them through the scanner, he smiled and waved us through. We passed the front gates and were instantly assaulted by a wave of sound.

"Wow... Even now, there's so many people here." I tightened my hand around C.C.'s. "Let's stick close together, since it's so easy to get separated here."

She nodded and moved closer to me. As she did so, she pulled her hand away from mine and held on to my arm. As we walked further into the park, she became more and more like her normal self as she dragged me around, forcing me to accompany her on as whatever ride had caught her eye. Though I felt somewhat nauseous due to some of the more extreme rides, I had to admit, I was having fun.

At around four, we decided to take a break. I was nearly completely worn out from the day's events, and we were both starving, since we hadn't eaten since breakfast. I bought a few small snacks for the moment, since we still had a dinner reservation for later, and it would be bad if we were too full to eat.

As we sat on one of the benches scattered around the park, I noticed that the park had gotten darker. The sun had already begun to set, and the entire amusement park was filled with a soft orange light. I popped the last bite of my sandwich into my mouth and washed it down with a some water. "Hey, C.C... We should get going. It's already getting pretty late, and I'm sure you want to get changed before we go to dinner, right?"

She paused for a moment, then raised her hand and pointed into the distance. I followed her finger until my eyes rested on the gigantic Ferris wheel that dominated the center of the park. "Hm? You want to take a ride on that?"

"... Yeah. By now, there shouldn't be anyone in the lines, so we won't have to wait to go up. Besides, there's something that I want to tell you, before we leave."

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

Despite what she said, there was indeed a line at the Ferris wheel, but thankfully, it wasn't too long. However, when we finally got into the small gondola, the sky was already dark as the sun finally set and the first stars of the night appeared in the sky. On the slow ride up, C.C. was silent, her face expressionless and unreadable. Then, when we were at the highest point on the Ferris wheel, the entire machine stopped moving. "...? What's going on here? Why did we stop?"

I was just about to pull out my cell phone and call the park's administration and maintenance number, to have them bring us down, when C.C.'s hand reached out and gently took the phone from me. "The Ferris wheel stopped... because I asked the operator to do this for me."

I felt the momentary panic that had begun to build up in my chest dissipate at her words. Then, when I looked over at her, she seemed almost on the verge of tears. I carefully laid an arm around her shoulders and pulled her fragile body towards myself. "C.C... What's wrong?"

"You're doing it again... Didn't I tell you to call me by my real name?"

"A-Ah. Sorry, Cera. It was just a habit that I had gotten used to. If it'll make you happy, then I promise to call you by your real name from now on."

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "What would you think if I were to disappear without a word tomorrow? Would you hate me? Would you be confused?"

I glanced down at her in confusion. There was no reason why she should ask me such a strange question. However, I decided to consider it seriously. "... if you were to truly disappear tomorrow morning, without a single trace, I would definitely be confused. But, I wouldn't hate you. Even though we've only known each other for a short amount of time, it feels like we've known each other for years."

I stroked her hair and brought my mouth close to her ear. "... besides, I know you'll come back to me no matter what. If you aren't able to, then I will come find you. You might be a witch, but if I am to truly become your equal, then perhaps... perhaps I need to become a warlock."

She looked up at me with a smile on her face, but behind those golden irises, I could tell her fears were not dispelled. I brought her close and opened the top two buttons of my shirt. "I want to show you something."

At those words and my actions, her face flared red. "W-What do you think you're doing? Don't start taking off your clothes!"

She covered her eyes with her hands, and turned away from me. From inside my shirt, I pulled out the necklace that I wore everyday. It was a simple one, with minimal design and very little decoration. All it was was a thin golden chain with a gold ring threaded onto it. I unclasped the chain and held the ring in my hand. "Cera... open your eyes."

When she did, I took her hand and placed the ring into it. She stared at the ring and the thin golden chain it was on. "What's this, Lelouch?" Her eyes widened, and her face grew even more red. "I-Is this a w-w-w-wedding proposal? I don't t-t-think I'm mentally prepared for such a thing just yet..."

I flicked her forehead to bring her out of the panicked state she had put herself in. "You idiot... take a look at the ring, and tell me what you see."

She took the ring into her hands and brought it close to her face. Her lips moved silently as she read the two letters carved into the soft gold. For a long moment, there wasn't a sound in the tiny gondola. Then, she turned to me, her face disbelieving. "Why... why do you have this ring? And why is my name carved into it?"

"I'd like to know that too... All I know about this ring is that it mysteriously appeared on my hand around two weeks ago. Then, just recently, I met you, someone who introduced herself to me as 'C.C.'"

I took her hand in mine and looked out over the glittering lights of the city. "... I believe that our meeting wasn't just by coincidence. It feels as if someone or something had guided us along our separate paths, to ensure that we would meet at that cafe on that day... I'm sure of it. That's why..." I took a deep breath. "That's why I want us to be t-together."

I felt a slight shift as she moved over and laid her head against my chest. She gave my hand a squeeze and smiled. "I know. I feel the same way about our meeting. I also want to stay with you forever." At that, her expression turned sad. "... as long as fate is willing, I know we'll stay together."

I turned around to face her and laid my hands on her shoulders. I looked into her eyes and gave her a confident smile, despite my own uncertainties. "Don't worry. Whatever troubles that come our way, I'm sure that we can get through it. Together."

Just then, there was a tiny jolt as the Ferris wheel began to move again. As we began to slowly descend again, I slowly leaned forward. Her face was upturned, and her eyes were closed. The faint light from the crescent moon outside bathed everything in a silvery blue glow. In that brief moment, it felt like time itself had stopped. There wasn't a single sound other than the beating of my heart and the soft sound of breathing. Then, after what seemed like an eternity, my lips brushed against hers.

"Mmmn..."

A soft moan escaped her lips as I pressed deeper into the kiss. I pulled away and stared at her, unwilling to let this precious moment slip away. Then, as we continued to descend, C.C. scooted closer to me, her face still red, but a sweet smile on her face. "... Lelouch... one more."

This time, I held her close against me, prolonging the moment for as long as I could. We pulled away from each other just as the gondola finally reached the bottom once again. The attendant held the door open for us, and we walked out into the night. It was a refreshing feeling, and one I had never experienced before. Hand in hand, we walked through the gradually emptying streets on our way back to the main entrance.

After some time, we stopped by a fountain to rest our legs for a little bit. As we sat there, with her head on my shoulder, C.C. suddenly spoke up. "Lelouch... I have a request that I hope that you'll accept."

"...? Go ahead. As long as it isn't incredibly unreasonable, I don't think I'll have any reason to refuse you."

She looked up at the stars and closed her eyes, as if making a wish upon one of them. "Next Spring, would... would you want to go watch the sakura trees bloom? I've always wanted to go see them, in a place outside of my home, with someone important to me."

It wasn't too strange of a request, but it seemed, to me, that she was trying to make a promise with herself, as well as with me. However, I pushed those thoughts aside and answered her like I normally would. "Of course."

Her smile at that moment was one that I would remember for the rest of my life. However, it quickly disappeared the moment we reached the entrance of the park. There, parked on the sidewalk, was a long black limousine. A tall man in a suit leaned against the car, a cigarette in his mouth. At the sight of us, he tossed the still-glowing cigarette onto the floor and strode towards us with sure steps.

"How dare you disobey me. You've been gone for a week. A week! Do you know how worried we were about you? Then, just a few hours ago, I heard that you were here from one of my employees. I'm disappointed that his information turned out to be true."

As I looked over to my side, C.C. had turned to bury her face against my arm. Her body was gently shaking, and the two small hot spots against my arm told me that she was crying silently. The man walked forward and reached out, as if to grab her arm and pull her away. At that moment, I made my decision.

I stepped in front of her and blocked her from him. "Stop right there. I don't know who you are, but you shouldn't be speaking to her like that." I wrapped an arm around C.C.'s shoulders. "I have given my word to be the one who will protect her and support her. I won't let scum like you tarnish that honor."

The man's eyes narrowed and took a step back. In that moment, I realized that I had made a mistake. The way he looked at me wasn't resentful. It was the look of someone who knew he was more powerful than me. However, I stood firm in front of C.C., a defiant look on my face.

He sighed and shook his head. "Ignorant boy... you truly don't know who I am?" He suddenly pointed at the girl behind me. "My name is Alphonse Ciel, and I'm here to take my daughter back."

"...!"

* * *

**Chapter 4 - A Moonlit Night**


	6. Book II Chapter 5: A New Beginning

**Author's Note: **Hey there guys! Wow... It's been so long since I last released any sort of written work! And there's a perfectly good explanation for it. I've started college, and my free time becomes incredibly limited between classes, gym, and clubs. However, I try to spend a little bit of time every day to write some more fanfiction because it's a hobby that I don't want to give up. So, yeah. Releases from me will be coming much slower now, on the scale of one to two chapters a month. I'll try my best to stay on schedule, but I can't predict everything. If you want to ask me the approximate date of my next release or anything else, feel free to PM me!

Now, on to the story. I've decided that for Book III, I would move back into the Code Geass universe, and have events play out differently than they happened in _Colors of My Soul_ and the actual Code Geass timeline. Nothing is set in stone at the moment, and I'm still constantly playing with and altering various ideas. If you have something to add or suggest, send me a PM, and I'll be sure to read it.

Finally, without further ado, please enjoy the newest chapter of the _Colors of My Soul _series! And, like always, thanks for reading._  
_

~TabiNoTochuu

P.S. The last four lines seem a little cheesy to me, but there's a reason I've introduced this into the story. Of course, I can't tell you, but I can say that the conflict will begin in the next chapter.

* * *

**Book II**

**Chapter 5 - A New Beginning**

I stared at the man in the suit with a wide range of emotions that coursed through my body. I wasn't sure how I should react, now that the father of the woman I loved, and one of the most powerful men in this city, was standing in front of me.

Before I could say or do anything, C.C. stepped forward to face her father, her face unreadable. Father and daughter stared at each other for a brief moment before he stepped forward. Without any hint of regret on his face, her father stepped up and slapped her bluntly across her face. C.C. staggered back a few steps and leaned against me, her eyes filled with tears. "... Is this how you're supposed to act? You leave without telling anyone and expect that a _note_ is enough to satisfy all our worries? You're the next heir to a multi-billion dollar company! Anything could have happened to you in this time."

She glared at her father for a second, hate burning in her eyes, before she turned and buried her face against me. "I never asked for this. All I want is to live a normal life, regardless of who I am. I wanted to see what it was like to... be normal. To not have servants and personal chefs. I wanted to go to a normal school, make friends, and be just another girl."

Her father sighed in exasperation, and I could tell that this was a topic they had talked about many times in the past. "What you don't get, is that you're NOT just another girl? You have your responsibilities, and you need to uphold them. What else am I supposed to do? You've rejected all my candidates for marriage, and a son-in-law is the only other person I can pass the company to."

She laughed derisively. "Don't joke with me. All the men you've picked for me care nothing for me at all. They just want to get their hands on our family's assets and power. Why should I marry someone who doesn't love me?"

He ran a hand through his hair and pulled out another cigarette. He took a few drags on it before he stared up at the night sky. "... I've told you. If you don't like the men I choose for you, then pick someone yourself. You've never been able to give me someone, and we just end up arguing for hours."

Suddenly, C.C. pushed me forward and stood next to me with her hand tightly interlocked with mine. Her face betrayed none of her emotions, but from her eyes, I could tell that she was extremely afraid at how this would turn out. "Then I choose him. I've spent enough time with him to understand him, and I realized that I want to be with him."

Her father turned his gaze toward me and looked me over from top to bottom. "... Hm. What's your name, son?"

I responded, a bit flustered at how quickly I had been shoved into their conversation that, frankly, I didn't think I had a place in. "A-Ah. My name is Lelouch Lamperouge. I-It's nice to meet you. And, um, I'm sorry for how I acted earlier. I didn't recognize you."

He gave a grunt of approval and took a drag on his cigarette before he continued. "I see... polite and smart, isn't he? So... tell me about yourself, boy. What company are you from?"

For a moment, I stood there as I tried to understand his question. Then, as I fully comprehended what he had asked, there was nothing I could tell him but the truth. "... none of them, sir. I am just a normal person, who has a small fund left behind by his mother to pay for his expenses until he graduates from university."

At this, his eyes narrowed slightly and he looked at me with a different expression. Then, he turned to C.C., who was still standing next to me. "Cera... he's a commoner. You can't believe that I would allow that to pass. What would people say once they discover that my own daughter married a commoner? We'd be ruined!"

"That's all you ever think about. You never care about how I feel in these situations. The company always comes first for you." I was surprised to hear the biting remark come from C.C.'s mouth. In the short time that I had known her, she had never shown her anger in any way. Sure, she had gotten annoyed at times, but never on the scale which I saw here.

Her father's face contorted with rage, and he stepped forward, his hand upraised, as if to slap her again. Suddenly, despite being completely uncertain about what I was about to do, I stepped forward between them, moving C.C. behind me. "Even if you're her father, I still can't allow you to hit her."

He glared at me for a brief second before he sighed, visibly relaxing a little. "I know that you're trying to do what you think is right, but this is a family matter. I ask that you stay out of it."

I stood my ground and refused to move. Despite what he had said, there was no way I could just stand there and watch while he hurt C.C. "I won't. Even if you ask that, this isn't something I can idly stand by and watch. Besides, I don't think the man should be helpless when the woman he loves is left to bear the entire burden by herself."

He stared at me for a second. "What did you just say?"

I gulped nervously, but continued regardless. "I said, I love her. Indirectly, of course, but the meaning was definitely clear."

"But does she love you back?"

"...?" I was taken aback by his question. The answer should have been shockingly obvious, and it surprised me that he hadn't seen this yet. "Of course. I believe that she does. The relationship we share isn't quite that of lovers, but we are definitely more; much more, than friends."

Just then, a girl's voice rang out, breaking the silence that had fallen between us. "Father. I believe that I can come up with a solution that will work for all of us, at least for now. I will agree to go home on two conditions. One, you'll let me stay with him for a few more days. I don't want to leave this half-finished." C.C. took a deep breath. "Two, you will agree to let me come see him again, or let him come see me, whenever we wish."

Her father stood there, thinking her conditions over in his mind. Finally, after some time, he sighed and raised his hands in defeat. "Fine. I accept your conditions. However, don't think that this means that I have approved of you two."

C.C. nodded and smiled. "It's enough for now. But, I hope that you will, one day."

He gave a grunt and walked back to his limo. With one last backwards glance, he stepped inside the car, which promptly drove off, leaving C.C. and me standing in the middle of the parking lot. I stood staring off into space for a moment before I turned to C.C. "Hey... he wasn't at all like what you said he would be like."

"W-What? What are you talking about?"

"Your father. Didn't you tell me that he was incredibly stubborn and would disown your if he discovered that you had fallen for a commoner? He seemed pretty understanding about it, and he does seem to care for you."

"U-Uhm... Ehehehe... Maybe I was a bit... too overboard with my descriptions. But you have to understand how I felt at the time."

I sighed but relaxed. Having met her father, hope flared up within me. If I could manage to convince him to approve of me, then perhaps C.C. and I had a chance to be together. Suddenly, a flick to my forehead broke me out of my trance. "Lelouch... you were just staring off into space... what were you thinking about?"

"N-Nothing. Don't worry about it." Then, my eyes widened and I jumped. "Oh crap! I almost forgot! We still have that dinner reservation!" I took a look at my watch and grabbed C.C.'s hand. "Come on! We can still make it if we hurry!"

"W-Wait, Lelouch! Don't pull me!"

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

I rubbed my chest as I finally caught my breath. C.C. stared at me in amusement and took a sip from her glass of tea. "You... You're really not good with athletic stuff, huh?"

"S-Shut up... Athletics were... never my sort of thing."

"Fufufu... I can tell."

Now that I had sufficiently calmed down, I took a good look at my surroundings. The restaurant that Euphy had gotten for us was really unique. Instead of tables and chairs, there were a number of booths, able to hold from 2 to 10 people. Inside, it was more like a karaoke box than a restaurant. You could order dishes using a phone by the door, and the karaoke machine was free to use as long as you were dining.

I walked over to the phone and ordered some appetizers and two additional glasses of iced tea. In less than fifteen minutes, a waiter brought the food and drinks to our booth, and we settled down to start eating. "MMH?!"

C.C. let out a muffled scream and picked up the new glass of iced tea and began to gulp it down. I watched her with a bemused expression on my face until she finally calmed down. "Ahhh~ Those stuffed peppers are so spicy! I thought that my tongue would burn off from eating that..."

As I laughed, I noticed something about C.C. Her face was much redder than usual, and she seemed to be really hot, as she kept fanning herself. "Um... Are you okay, Cera?"

She stood up and scooted over until she could lean her body against me. "It feels so good... Lelouch might be thin, but he makes a great pillow!"

Suddenly, a dreadful thought ran through my mind. I picked up the glass of iced tea that she just downed, and took a sip from what remained. Instantly, I recoiled as the familiar taste of alcohol touched my tongue. "No way... they couldn't possibly have... given us the wrong drinks by mistake?"

To be sure, I tried my own glass of tea, with the same results. They both seemed to be some sort of tea-colored cocktail. _This is not good... I haven't had any, but C.C. drank nearly an entire glass without stop... I don't think she's too good with alcohol..._

A sudden weight fell on my legs, and I looked down to see C.C. with her head on my lap, curled up with her eyes closed. I carefully moved her until head was resting on the cushions instead of my body. Then, I got up to use the phone and ask for some iced water for C.C. The moment I stood up, I felt a tug on my shirt, and I turned around to see C.C., still on the cushioned sofa, but awake and staring at me. "... Where are you going?"

"Ah. I'm going to the phone to get you some iced water, and to complain about their carelessness. You just rest there until the water comes."

Her grip on my shirt tightened. "Don't leave... it's scary for me to be alone."

Even though I was almost certain that this was just something else brought on by her intoxication, hearing that awakened a protective part inside of me. I sat back down and stroked her hair. "Don't worry. I'll be just over there. I won't leave you, and you can keep an eye on me to make sure I stay in the room."

She seemed to be satisfied with that, and let go of my shirt. "That's right. Cause we'll be together forever..."

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

After a full glass of iced water, and some normal tea, C.C. seemed to be able to function a little more normally, though it was still clear she was more than a little drunk. I staggered outside with C.C. leaning against me, her face still flushed from the alcohol.

We stopped in a small park and sat down on one of the benches. By this time, it was already getting very dark, especially in the park, where there were no lights. As we sat there, I gulped in mouthfuls of air into my burning lungs and struggled to keep myself from collapsing.

With a satisfied smile, C.C. leaned against me and closed her eyes. "Thanks for carrying me over here, Lelouch."

"Oh? Do you have the power of speech now? Does that mean that you've gotten over the alcohol?"

She winced slightly. "Not... yet. I still don't know how missed the taste of alcohol in the drink. But, no. I think I'm still a little intoxicated. I can't think too straight, and my head's buzzing a bit."

I sighed and stared up at the night sky. In the darkness of the park, the stars were clearly visible. Suddenly, I felt a gentle push from my side, and before I knew it, C.C. had pushed me onto my back. "W-What are you doing?"

"... I just realized something. Today, when you defended me against my father, you told him that you loved me. I think... that it was the first time that you had actually said such a thing directly." She laid a hand on my chest. "I really appreciate what you did. And... I feel the same way."

She leaned down and closed her eyes. Slowly, she pressed her lips against mine and pushed me into a deep kiss. For one magical moment, time seemed to stop as our lips connected. Then, as she pushed away from me, her face changed completely. "I'm sorry that you had to go through that today... I didn't think that he would actually come looking for me."

She sat against the bench and stared up at the stars. When I looked over at her, I noticed the tear that ran down her face. "... You know, I wonder if your life would have been better if you had never met me. I dragged you into this mess, and I might have changed your life forever, and maybe not in a good way."

I sat there silently for a few minutes before I took her hand in mine. "Why would you say that? Have I said anything that made it seem like I regretted what I've done?"

She shook her head, but remained silent. I pulled her closer to me. At first, she resisted slightly, but then she fell into my arms. I quietly stroked her hair for a moment before I continued to talk. "It's because of you that I was able to change. With you by my side, I was able to take my first step. I'm more certain than I was before about you... no, us."

She shook her head as tears rolled down her face freely. "Despite how my father views your personality, in his eyes, you're still just a commoner. He would never accept a relationship between you and me."

"... then I'll make him accept it. I'll prove to him that I can undertake the challenges." The idea had popped into my head, and as I thought about it, it seemed like something that I could do. "I'll just have to prove to your father that I'm worthy of you."

C.C. considered my words for a moment before a light of hope lit up in her eyes. "You might be able to... it won't be easy, but it's possible."

"I promised, didn't I? I said that I would protect and support you, no matter what happens. I'm not the type of person to go back on my word."

I pushed myself back up and stared up at the night sky. Suddenly, there was a streak of light as a shooting star raced through my field of vision. I pointed up at the sky. "You should have made a wish. If you make one right as a shooting star falls, it will definitely come true."

C.C. looked at me. "Really?"

"Really. Too bad though... you just missed one."

She puffed her cheeks and closed her eyes. Her lips moved silently as she repeated her wish to herself over and over again. Then, she suddenly looked up at the starry night. The moment she repeated her wish again, there was another flash of light as a second shooting star streaked across the sky. Then, my eyes widened as I beheld the sight before me. All across the sky, dozens and dozens of shooting stars raced across the sky, as if in answer to the wish of the girl next to me. Just then, words from the past echoed in my mind. _You will fall for a woman who wishes for you on the stars, having seen you before only once from afar._

C.C. turned to look at me and stared at me when she saw my expression. "Lelouch... is something wrong? You seem... a little spaced out."

I shook my head and forced a smile onto my face. "No, it's nothing. I was just thinking of something from the past... something my mother told me."

She instantly grew quiet and nodded. I was happy that she didn't press me for an explanation, but, at the same time, I also wanted to tell her what my mother had told me. "Cera... there's something you should know. While my mother was in the hospital, before she died, she told me something. In a sense, it was almost like a prophecy. One of the lines was this: 'You will fall for a woman who wishes for you using the stars, having seen you before only once from afar.'"

She was silent for a few minutes before she timidly questioned me. "What else did she say?"

I opened my mouth, but nothing came forth. I shook my head and gave C.C. a reassuring smile. "Nothing else that was of any importance. Don't worry about it."

She didn't look convinced, but she let the matter slide. Now that the conversation between us had turned a little awkward, she quickly stood up and pulled me to my feet. "Come on, Lelouch. I have somewhere else I want to go tonight before we go home."

"...?" I allowed her to pull me out of the park and back onto the street.

A few minutes later, I found myself back on the small beach with her, the same beach where I had first begun to seriously consider my feelings for her. On that single, magical evening, my entire life changed. "Why are we back here?"

She stood facing the ocean, her figure silhouetted by the full moon. She raised a hand and brushed her hair over one shoulder. "Do you remember what I said to you? I refuse to let you be the one who confesses, since it was me that dragged you into this."

I nodded, still confused as to what she was getting at. "I do remember. But why are you bringing this up now?"

She turned around, and in the light of the moon, her entire figure, except her golden eyes, were shadowed, giving her eyes a strangely luminescent quality. She smiled and held out a hand to me. "It's time for me to do what I should have done a while ago. It's clear to me now that, despite how you act, you're really a kind person on the inside... you are the only one that I would trust with my heart."

C.C. gently grabbed my hand and pulled me into her arms. "Lelouch... despite the fact that we were born into separate worlds, mere chance, and perhaps fate brought us together. I no longer doubt that we were meant to meet. And, after all this time, I finally am able to tell you what's been in my heart this entire time." She took a deep breath and stared directly into my eyes. "Lelouch... I love you. I always had, and I always will."

The world seemed to stop as we stared into each other's eyes. I nodded and gently reached up and stroked her face. "I know... and you know that I will always love you, no matter what might happen."

As if it were natural, I began to lean in toward her. Softly and gently, I covered her lips with my own. The moment we were in seemed to stretch until what seemed like an eternity had passed. She pulled away from me and placed her arms around my neck. "... I will return to my father's home tomorrow evening. But before I go, I want to spend one more day with you."

I smiled. "You don't have to make it sound like we'll never see each other again. Even though you'll be living farther away from me, we'll still see each other at school, and we can meet whenever you're feeling lonely."

Her eyes closed and she leaned back. "... hey, do you want to know what I wished for?" She opened her eyes and stared up at the stars. "That wish I made during that meteor shower."

"No." I shook my head firmly. "It doesn't work like that. If you tell anyone what you wished for, before it actually comes true, then it will never happen."

The stars above my head twinkled as I slowly stood up from the bench and offered my hand to C.C. "It's time to go home. It's pretty late, and we need our energy for tomorrow."

She placed her small, warm hand in mine and nodded. "Yeah."

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

After a long, mind-numbing conversation with my sisters about how the day went, I finally managed to break away and stagger back to my room. To be honest, they seemed to accept the fact that C.C. would have to return home. I opened the door to my room and found C.C. already fast asleep on my bed. I sighed in exasperation and walked over to the bed. "Hey..." I poked her cheek. "Go back to your room... Who said that you could sleep in my bed?"

She slowly opened her eyes and blinked innocently at me. "If you don't want me here, then you should kick me off the bed." Then she held her arms out toward me. "Unless... you want to join me?"

"And why should I spend the night with a witch? Who knows what sort of spell you might place on me when I fall asleep?"

Her face reddened and she pulled the sheets up over her face. From the bed, her muffled voice reached me. "B-Because, tonight, no matter what, I want to be with you. This is the last night we can be like this, so I don't want to s-sleep alone."

I pulled open the blankets and carefully slid into the bed. When I turned to face C.C., I smiled and brought her closer to me. "It may be the last night for now, but that doesn't mean we won't ever have this sort of time together again."

She relaxed and snuggled against my body as her breathing began to calm itself. "Thanks... Lelouch. Good night."

"Good night. Sleep well, Cera."

She was already asleep when those words left my mouth, but unconsciously, the corners of her mouth turned upwards into a gentle smile.

I watched her until I was certain she had fallen asleep before I carefully removed myself from her arms and got out of the bed. I walked over to the window and carefully opened it so it wouldn't creak and sat on the windowsill. I stared up at the full moon as I repeated the words my mother had told me moments before she had died.

_"You will fall for a woman who wishes for you on the stars, having seen you before only once from afar."_

_ "Through trial and error your relationship will be built, and once started, the flowers of your love will never wilt."_

_ "But your one decision will save or doom it all, follow your heart and you will never fall."_

_ "Your right choice will leave you running out of breath, resigned to a life forsaken by death."_

* * *

**Chapter 5 - A New Beginning**


	7. Book II Chapter 6: The Brightest Day

**Author's note: **Wow! It's been almost a month since I've actually put out any sort of work! As you all probably know, I'm in college right now, and my workload can be a bit overwhelming at times. With that, and other obligations, I haven't had the time or energy to write as much as I want to. But, after on and off writing for a month, I proudly present the newest chapter to _Colors of My Soul_

Unfortunately, the true conflict and action of the story begins in the next chapter, but I felt like this would be a good introduction to it.

As for my update schedule from here on out, I probably will not be able to put out a chapter in less than a month. I don't like being so slow and making you guys wait for releases, but I have no choice at this point.

But, enough of that! Please enjoy the newest chapter of _Colors of My Soul_!

Feel free to leave feedback in the form of a review or a PM, and as always, thanks for reading!

~TabiNoTochuu

* * *

**Book II**

**Chapter 6 - The Brightest Day**

I laid back in my bed and stared up at the ceiling. It had been only a few days since I had bid farewell to C.C. as she stepped back into the limousine that would take her back to her father's mansion. These last few days had seemed extraordinarily long, and I found myself actually looking forward to the coming day of school. Even if it meant I had to sit through lessons that covered things I had learned a long time ago, if I could see C.C., even for a little time, then it would all be worth it. There was a soft knock on my door. "Ah, come in."

The door opened and Euphy stuck her head into my room. "You seem quite happy, onii-chan. Even though C.C. left, you're still going around with the same smile on your face. You're even looking forward to going to school."

I pursed my lips thoughtfully. "I guess you're right. Then again, I've never met someone who could change me as much as she did."

She smiled and tossed my jacket at me. "I'm glad you found someone special. Now, if you don't get up, you're going to be late for school."

I jumped out of bed and grabbed my alarm clock. Sure enough, there were only fifteen minutes before I had to be at school. And school was around twenty minutes away. I threw on my clothes and jumped out of bed. After a hurried greeting to Nunally, I ran through the door. _If I just run, I can definitely get there on time..._

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

Naturally, I didn't make it. I pulled myself through the door to the classroom around fifteen minutes after class had already started. I received several strange looks, but no one really said anything to me, though I did hear a few snickers. As I walked to my seat, I caught C.C.'s eye, and she smiled sympathetically at me.

The rest of the class period passed rather uneventfully, and I survived to the lunch period with no other events. Ever since she had returned to her father's C.C. had a new habit at lunch. She would bring a homemade bento for both herself and me, and we would eat it together on the roof. Like always, she walked over to me with two bentos in her hands. "Lelouch, let's go eat. I'm sure you're tired from running to school today."

I took one of them from her and walked with her up to the roof. We sat along the wall and opened our bentos. Today, she had made a few rice balls with some egg omelets as a side dish. And, like always, it was incredibly delicious, and I praised her cooking wholeheartedly with my mouth stuffed. However, as I ate, I noticed that C.C. had barely touched her food. "Is there something wrong?"

She jumped and turned to look at me before she smiled. Even though it looked normal, I could tell that she had forced that smile and that there was something wrong. "You're just imagining things again. I'm fine, Lelouch. Really!"

"No, you're not. You can tell me what's wrong. I'm here to help you, no matter what happens."

She sighed and dropped her act. Her smile slipped off her face and she stared into the air. "My father... he told me that he would be holding a party in a few days. However, when I asked, he told me that you were not to come to the party. I can't understand why he wouldn't want you to come though..."

My mind tried to process why he would not want me to come to the party. I may be a commoner, but there was no way that someone could tell without asking me directly. No matter how hard I tried to grasp the situation at hand, there were no possible options that I could see. "I don't understand either... but if he doesn't wish for me to come, then there is no reason for me to be there."

C.C. glared at me. "Of course there is! If you're not there, then who am I going to spend the entire night with? My father's business associates? I don't think so."

"But... how am I going to get into the party? I don't have an invitation, and I don't have any clothes that would be appropriate for the party even if you could get me an invitation..."

She winked at me and grabbed my arm. "I plan on fixing that right now. Let's hurry back to the classroom. We'll get our bags then head out. I think there are several stores on the way to your house that we can stop by..."

"Wait! Don't go deciding things on your own! I never even said that I wanted to go to this party! If I'm not welcome there, then maybe I shouldn't go. Besides, what can I do at such a high-class party? I can't even make conversation with the other patrons..."

She smiled and pulled me through the door. "That's why I'm gonna spend the next few days teaching you how to act like the rest of them, so you'll be able to blend in!" She hesitated for a second and then added softly, "And... I don't know what I would do if you weren't there with me."

At those words, my heart flipped around in my chest. Truthfully, I was happy to spend even more time than usual with her, but the idea of going to such a party made me uneasy. For some reason, I had a bad feeling that something terrible was going to happen at the party. But, when she said it like that, there was no way I could refuse her. "... all right. For the next few days, I'm in your care."

"Great! Then, I'll be staying over at your house for a few days. I'll call my father and tell him that I'll be staying at a friend's house for a few days for a project. Well, in a sense, that's true, but there's no need to tell him the full truth."

I nodded thoughtfully, then everything she said hit me. "Wait! Who said you were staying over at my house?! That's not something you can decide!"

She gave me a hurt look. "You don't want me to stay over?"

"I-It's not that... But, you can't..."

Seeing my hesitation, she took it as her cue to destroy my argument. "Then, there shouldn't be a problem, right? We better leave now, otherwise the shops we need to go to will be closed!"

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

**Three hours later...**

I dropped the uncountable number of bags I was carrying onto the floor and took off my shoes before stumbling into the hallway. C.C. followed and gave me a slap on the back before she placed her single bag on the floor and walked into the house. "... It's been so long since I've been here! Nothing's changed at all. It's still the same place that welcomed me all that time ago."

Suddenly, there was a small shout of surprise from inside the house. "Euphy-neechan, I heard someone's voice in the hallway! It... sounded like C.C.!"

There was the sound of running feet as Euphy ran out of the living room, followed closely by Nunally in her wheelchair. They excitedly greeted C.C. and talked with her for a while before their conversation turned to why she had come over. "Well... I'm going to stay here for a few days and teach your brother how to act like a proper gentleman so that he can come to the party my father is hosting this weekend."

With the help of my sisters, we carried the bags upstairs, where my training officially began. From inside the bags, C.C. pulled out various clothes, all very formal-looking, and all VERY expensive. I couldn't help but feel extremely out of place as I stared at the famous brands that I would never have even dreamed of wearing. She picked out a shirt and tie to go with the suit she had gotten and handed them all to me. "Go ahead and put that on. We might as well make sure you look the part before you act it."

Uncomfortably, I took the clothes and walked to the door, heading for the bathroom. I hadn't moved a few feet before I felt her hand pull me back. "Where do you think you're going? You're going to put it on right here so that I can see how it looks on you. Then, I can change the combination if its not too good."

My face reddened as my mind processed her words. "I c-can't just change clothes here! If you want to stay, at least wait outside until I'm done changing..."

She smirked at me and walked over to sit on my bed. "Are you embarrassed? There really shouldn't be anything to feel ashamed about, right? Besides... we've done more than just this."

"S-Shut up! You're making it sound worse than it actually is... And no matter what, I'm not going to be comfortable changing in front of a girl."

She sighed and turned her back to me. "There. Does that make you feel better? It's not like I was going to look. I thought that might be easier if you were in the same room as me so we can check out your outfits."

I sighed and began to undress. The pants and shirt she had picked out were top-grade and extremely comfortable. However, I shuddered to think what each article must have cost. With the shirt came a red silk tie. On top of that was a loose-fitting black vest and a heavier suit jacket on top of that. I nervously adjusted my collar and buttoned up the vest and suit top. "Uh... I'm finished..."

C.C. turned around and stared at me for a moment, apparently lost for words. "Lelouch... I don't want to admit it, but you look great in those. It's like you were meant to wear formal clothes."

I walked through the door and into the bathroom. I stood there, transfixed at my own reflection as I stared into the mirror. The person in front of me did not look like me at all. The normally dull and plain clothes I wore were replaced by a magnificent suit, and my hair, normally long and messy, had somehow been combed more or less to one side. In that mirror, I saw not me, but the person I had so longed to become, rich, powerful, and confident.

I was so distracted that I didn't notice when C.C. walked up behind me and placed her arms around my body. "It really suits you. As long as we can make you talk and act like an aristocrat, you should have no problems at all blending in at the party."

"What things are you going to teach me? I'm sure you're aware that I know nothing at all about acting like an aristocrat. I'm not sure I can accomplish this in the few days we have left."

She let go of my body and began to pace around, her finger on her lips. "Well... there are numerous factors in acting the part, but most of them aren't going to be important in this situation. The first thing I will teach you will be how to talk like the other rich people. Secondly, we're going to have to provide you with some sort of false identification so that people won't suspect you're actually not a member of a major company. Third, and probably most importantly, we need to teach you how to dance."

I nodded thoughtfully until my mind processed everything she said. "Wait! H-how to dance?! You never mentioned anything like that! I thought that this was just a party!"

She gave me a look. "Yeah, but there's also going to be ballroom dancing and such. As my partner, it would be embarrassing for me to be with someone who can't even take the lead on the dance floor. Didn't I mention it to you?"

"Obviously not. How am I possibly going to learn all this in such a short amount of time? Talking and the identification should be easy enough, it's the dancing that makes me worried."

C.C. grinned at me. "I see the frail and weak boy doesn't want to overexert himself in front of a pretty girl like me, huh?"

"Ugh... I can already tell that this is going to be a very trying few days..."

She smiled brilliantly and walked over to my computer and popped a CD into the hard drive. "Let's start with dancing, since it's the thing we probably have to work on the most. I'll go slowly and teach you the steps."

With the push of a button, soft classical music flowed through the speakers and filled the room. C.C. walked up to me and placed one of her hands on my shoulder, and one of mine on her waist. With her other hand in mine, she slowly began to twirl and spin, trying to teach me the steps to ballroom dancing.

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

**Several hours later...**

"No, no, no! That's not what I taught you! You were supposed to do it like this."

I growled in frustration and sat down in my bed. We had been practicing to the sound of music for nearly four hours now. No matter how hard I tried, I hadn't been able to get it right. At the moment, I couldn't stand even another second of this. "I'm done. We can try again some other day."

C.C. stared at me for a brief moment and then turned away and turned off the music. "Alright, if that's how you see it, then we can take a break. I'll teach you about mannerisms and how you should talk later tonight."

I groaned and stood myself up. Just then, there was a soft knock on the door as Euphy stuck her head through the doorway. "I made dinner... it's nothing special, but it seemed like you were really busy, so I wanted to do something for you."

Normally, this would have astonished me, as Euphy, though a talented person, was a mediocre cook at best. If she could stay away from cooking, she normally would. But now, in my state, I could only manage a grunt of acknowledgment before I walked toward the door. "... Thanks, Euphy."

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

I sat back with a satisfied sigh. After the filling, though slightly off-taste dinner, I was a great deal less moody and I was even looking forward to the lesson C.C. was about to teach me. I got up from the table and brought the dishes into the kitchen and began to wash them. I heard soft footsteps behind me and I turned to see C.C. behind me. "I'll be over in just a few minutes, let me just clean up these dishes."

She nodded, but didn't leave. She seemed to be fidgeting, as if there was something she wanted to say to me, but she was too afraid to say it. I sighed and put down the dish that I had been in the middle of drying. I reached out and pulled her into my arms. "What's wrong?"

"... Am I just forcing you to go to this party? Do you really want to go, or are you only considering going because I asked you to accompany me?"

I stayed silent for a second, shocked that she had asked me such a question. However, in that brief moment, C.C. turned away from me and tried to pull away from me. In response, I pulled her closer to myself and hugged her tightly. "... Don't be stupid. Even if I was forcing myself to go, I would be doing so because I could be with you. It's not a burden to me. I'm just a little tired, that's all."

She slowly turned around and stared at me. "Lelouch... can I tell you something?"

"... Of course."

She bit her lip and slowly reached into her shirt to pull out a necklace. On the necklace was a delicate gold ring. "This necklace was something my mother gave me many years ago. However I hadn't worn this in a while since I had left it at home when I ran away. But, when I put it on again, I noticed there was something different about it."

She unclasped the necklace's fastener and placed it into my hands. I held up the ring threaded on the thin gold chain. With shaking hands, I turned it so I could read the engraved words in it. For a long moment, I was silent as I stared at the ring in my hands. There, clearly engraved on the gold were two words. _Lelouch Lamperouge._

"I've had that necklace for as long as I could remember. There were no words or engravings on it anywhere before. But, after I met you, your name appeared on it."

She stood on her tiptoes and planted a gentle kiss on my cheek. "Now, more than ever, I'm certain that we were destined to meet like this. Perhaps... in another life, we were together and we vowed to find each other again."

I shook my head in disbelief. "Maybe..."

She winked and gave me a mischievous grin. "Now that that's out of the way, let's go and teach you how to act like a proper gentleman. Heaven knows you need these lessons."

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

After working for a couple of hours, I managed to, more or less, learn how to act and speak in a manner that C.C. found satisfactory. I bid Euphy and Nunally good-night, then headed upstairs to my room, desperate for a good night's sleep.

When I opened the door to my room, I found, instead of an empty bed welcoming me, someone already sleeping in it. I sighed and poked her on the cheek. "C.C... this is my bed, you know? If you want to sleep, there's always the guest room..."

Her hand reached out and grasped mine, and she sleepily opened her eyes to stare at me. "How rude of you to wake up a sleeping woman. Do you have no sense of manners?"

"W-what's with that attitude?"

She turned to face me and held out her arms. "Well, I guess I can forgive you this time. However, I'm not moving, and you have two choices. You can either sleep in the guest room and freeze to death, or you can sleep here with me."

My face turned red from embarrassment from her request. Though we had already done something like this, on more than one occasion, it was still embarrassing to hear the words come out of her mouth so casually. However, despite my embarrassment, I pulled up one side of the covers and slipped into the bed.

As I lay there in the dark, though my body was extraordinarily tired, my mind could not stop its activity. After some time, I brought myself to turn around, and I found myself staring directly into C.C.'s soft golden eyes. "What is it, Lelouch? You couldn't sleep?"

"How could I, in this situation? Besides, why aren't you asleep yet?"

She smiled knowingly. "Maybe, I'm awake because the same thing that's keeping you up is what's keeping me up."

"What do you mean?"

Her smile disappeared as she inched a little closer to me. "... I know why you're not so eager to go to this party with me, and I've had the same feeling. You were thinking that something bad is going to happen at the party, right?"

My eyes widened slightly as those words left her mouth. It was like she had just read my mind. Despite my own worries, it seemed like she had the same concerns as me. "... Yeah... I don't know, C.C... I just don't have a good feeling about this party."

She sighed and lightly brushed her lips against mine. "You idiot... I keep telling you to call me by my real name, but you never do..."

"S-Sorry... it's more of a habit now than anything else."

"But... Even if you don't have a good feeling about this party, I still want you there with me. Even if the world were to collapse around me, with you by my side, I will be able to make it through whatever life can throw at me."

I hugged her fiercely against me and laid my head on her shoulders. "Yeah... I'll always be there to support and protect you, no matter what happens."

I could feel her smile even though she wasn't facing my way as her breathing slowed and became more peaceful. "That's right... And that's why I love you, Lelouch. Promise me you'll stay with me forever..."

I closed my eyes and kissed the top of her head. "Yeah. I promise... Cera."

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

**Unknown Place**

"Abraham... why are you so intent on those two? You've been following their lives quite closely."

The man slowly stood up and turned to face the speaker. "My apologies, My Lord. But, I have a special interest in these two. This is a development I have to watch."

"Abraham... you know the code that binds the world together... You must not interfere with their lives, no matter how much you may want to push them toward the right path. Even if you know how the journey ahead will be, you cannot interfere."

The man in the robes bowed respectfully. "As you command, My Lord."

"I take it you already know how their journey will end?"

"I do not. Their path is twisted over many fates and choices that each has to make. With the right choices, happiness lies in wait at the end of their journey. However, even one wrong choice will send them along a path that may be filled with many hardships."

Abraham lowered his eyes back toward the image of the two asleep. "I wish you both luck, and I hope that when the time comes, you will both make the right choices and find true happiness."

* * *

**Chapter 6 - ****The Brightest Day**


	8. Book II Chapter 6 Ex: The Darkest Night

**Author's Note: **Well, I'm happy that I can write again on a more normal schedule. Homework is lessening up a bit, and I'm getting ready for a nice week long Thanksgiving break. This chapter is going to be a lot shorter than normal, mainly because it was supposed to be just a part of chapter 6, but I had a nice idea with the titles, and this additional chapter came to be.

I hope you enjoy the newest chapter of _Colors of My Soul_! If you have the time, please leave me a review or shoot me a PM. I'm always happy to get feedback from readers, especially since this time, I will be leaving you with a huge cliffhanger!

Until Next Time!

~TabiNoTochuu

And as always, thanks for reading!

* * *

**Book II**

**Chapter 6.5 – The Darkest Night**

I tugged at my collar as I squirmed around in front of the mirror. _As I thought, this was truly a bad idea... I never realized just how uncomfortable these clothes could be._ For a momentary respite, I undid the first button on my shirt and gave a sigh of relief as the tight chokehold it had on my neck loosened by a great deal.

Tonight was the night. After a few more days of practice and lessons, I was finally, at least in the eyes of C.C., ready to blend in with other members of the aristocracy. However, no matter what she said to reassure me, there was no way that I could feel at ease in such a situation. I jumped as I felt a hand on my arm. I turned around and was instantly struck speechless by the person before me.

Her long green hair had been neatly combed and flowed across her back. Her normal casual clothes had been replaced with a dress of pure white. Though she wore no makeup or jewelry except for a necklace, there was only one word that could be used to describe her. I caught her hand and continued to stare at her. "Cera... I don't know what to say."

To my surprise, her face turned a slight shade of red at my words. Nonetheless, she looked pleased, if not a little flustered by my compliment. "Are you ready, Lelouch?"

Just then, a sudden problem with our plan popped into my mind, a terrible time for such doubts to take root, but the inkling of doubt had been planted. "Cera... if I might ask, how will we be getting in? Wouldn't it seem strange to the other party-goers if you were to arrive at the party with a person they've never seen before? What's more, wouldn't your father recognize me instantly, especially if I stay near you?"

She laughed and turned toward the door. "I've already thought of a solution to the problem, and I've recruited the required people to help fix it. They've both agreed to it, and I'm sure you're familiar with both of them."

There was a timid knock on my door, and a trembling voice floated through from the other side. "Onii-chan... Um... Can I come in?"

"Of course."

The door opened to reveal Euphy, but she was not the same as the sister I knew and loved. Her normal clothes had also been replaced with a dress, but this one was in a shade of rosy pink. Contrary to C.C., she had a pair of stunning earrings on, as well as a necklace and more makeup than I've ever seen her wear before. I turned to C.C. "What's going on here?"

"Well, as you can see, she's going to be joining the party too!"

"I can see that! What I want to know is why!"

C.C. sighed and shook her head in frustration. "Since I cannot be seen going into the party with you, the easiest way would be for us to go in separately and find each other inside. Without exception, party-goers must have an escort, which is why I had Euphy help us."

"But what about her? Are you saying that we're going to leave her when we enter the party? And more importantly, since everyone must have an escort, who is yours?"

I felt a small tug on my sleeve, and looked down to see a red-faced Euphy staring at me. "... Can we not talk about this? It's embarrassing..."

"What do you mean?"

"W-Well... C.C. is going to have the person I like escort her, and she plans for us to switch partners once we get into the party. It's alright. He knows that I like him, and I'm sure he has feelings for me as well. This is why I can also use this opportunity tonight to confess my feelings to him."

My mind finally managed to fully process the situation, and once I understood, a smile formed on my face. "I see now... so you're going to confess to Suzaku, huh?"

Instantly, Euphy's face turned ten shades brighter as she heard my words. "W-Wh- H-H-How do you k-know about that?! I h-haven't told anyone but C.C... D-Did she tell you?"

I sighed and smiled at her innocent way of thinking. "Quite honestly, you're extremely easy to read. Even a young child could probably tell that you like him, and I'm pretty sure most people we know can guess that you like him."

"Wah! I didn't k-know I was so easy to r-r-read..."

I laid my hand on her head to calm her down. "However, that's probably one of your best traits. You never hide anything, and you always strive to make everyone have a happy ending, even if it may cost you your own happiness in return. You're just like him... you both live for the sake of others. And... I think that you would make the perfect couple. Good luck, Euphy."

Suddenly, C.C. clapped her hands and began to walk toward the front door. "Well, then, now that we've gotten that out of the way, shall we go? No doubt the party will be starting soon, and despite how much I want to, there's no way that I can be late to this party."

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

**Thirty Minutes Later, Ciel Mansion**

We stepped out of the limousine to find Suzaku just outside of the gates, in a suit much like mine, but white with decorative pieces all over it, almost like a military jacket. "Lelouch! It's great to see you! And..." His eyes widened as he saw Euphy, standing behind me. "... Euphy... you look absolutely stunning tonight."

As I struggled not to laugh at his seriousness, I ushered them through the gates. "We should hurry, otherwise the party will start without us."

We walked through the massive gardens, making small talk along the way. At the main doors, we presented our invitations to the two employees there, who checked us off on a list and opened the doors for us to enter the mansion. Inside, everything had been changed so that the normally modern area had been turned into a ballroom straight from a fantasy scene.

The hall was lit from the light of thousands of candles, spread out in small holders across the hall. On one side was a massive dining area, with hundreds of tables spread out over a sort of courtyard, open to the elements. On the other side was the actual ballroom, with a complete orchestra playing and a dance floor large enough to hold all the guests.

"Wow... so this is what money can buy, huh?"

C.C. gave me a small punch and grabbed my hand. "Enough of that, its time we leave those two together. I want to dance a bit first before we check out what foods my father has prepared for tonight."

With a strangled yell, I was pulled directly across the entire ballroom and onto the dance floor. Once there, the training I did with C.C. seemed to kick in almost instinctively as I gently placed a hand on her waist. Before the orchestra began to play, I heard the mutters of those around us.

_Who's the person with her? Can it be that the heir to the Ciel family has finally found a suitor?_

_ Well... It's about damn time... But, I feel like he's going to be a reject just like all those other ones before him._

_ Just watch, I bet she's just toying with him. There aren't many people who can match her dancing style and speed, and she would never purposely lower her ability in front of so many people._

A small noise brought my attention back to C.C. "Don't worry about them, Lelouch. Let's show them what we can truly accomplish together, as a pair. Even the impossible becomes possible."

I smiled confidently and took her hand in mine. "Indeed. So, let's begin. Despite what you may think, I will be glad to get this part over with."

As if on cue, the orchestra began to play. For a few brief moments, we stood there in perfect silence as we took in the beat and flow of the song. Only when we had become immersed in the song could we be at our best, communicating in a way that didn't require words.

Before long, the dance floor cleared out until it was just us two in the center of a large crowd of people. The original remarks had long since disappeared, and only respectful and admiring comments were heard now from the mouths of the spectators. However, though my ears heard this, my mind did not process it as I swayed and moved to the beat of the music. I saw nothing but the woman in front of me, I heard nothing but the sound of our heartbeats, and I felt nothing but the warmth of her hand in mine.

Before I knew it, the final notes of the song rang out to deafening silence. For a few more moments after that, there was no noise at all. Then, all of a sudden, the cheers of hundreds of people rang out. I turned to look at C.C., who was staring at me with an odd expression on her face. "What is it?"

"Lelouch... when did you learn to dance so well? I know that you were pretty good after you learned from me, but I don't remember you ever being this good."

"Well... after I saw how terrible I was during our practice, I decided to look into some techniques and practice them in my spare time... If I can make you happy tonight, then that's all that matters to me."

I bowed and held out my hand to her. "If I may take your hand? I believe you wished to check out the dining selection tonight?"

She giggled and allowed me to take her hand. "Lead on, Mr. Lamperouge."

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

The gigantic dining area was filled with tables laden with hundreds of various dishes from all over the world. For a while, we just sampled the various foods, happy to try out the new, exotic and unique tidbits. While people came over to talk with C.C., I made small talk with those who came over to see the person who had been the partner of C.C.

More or less, I was able to respond in ways that didn't arouse any suspicion, but the talks left me completely drained of energy, and I headed out to a sort of garden area connected to the dining room. I sat down on a stone bench and sighed, watching my breath steam out in the cold air. Just then, I felt a warm hand on my face as someone sat down next to me. "You'll catch a cold if you stay out here..."

"I know... But I need a bit of a break from those people in there. It feels like I'm in someone else's skin when I speak with them. It just doesn't feel real."

I stared up at the stars for a few moments, then sighed once more. "Cera... there's something that I've wanted to tell you for a while now, but I've never actually managed to say it. But, right now, this is something I have to say to you, no matter what."

She stared at me in surprise, and nodded seriously, realizing what I had to say was an important matter to me. I stood up and took a few deep breaths before I reached into my pocket. I dropped to one knee in front of C.C., ignoring her gasp of surprise as I opened my hand, revealing the gold ring with her name carved into it. "Cera... Ever since I met you, I felt like there was a connection between us that I can not explain. However, there is one thing that I am sure of, and that is, in our short time together, I had fallen in love with the person that you are."

I lightly gripped her hand and held out the ring with my other hand. "I may not be the best person for you, but I hope that you will take me into your care. Cera... Will you marry me?"

C.C. laid her other hand over mine, and laughed while tears ran down her face. "What do you think? I've been waiting for so long for those words... My answer, no matter what happens, will always be the same. Yes, Lelouch. I will."

I slipped the ring onto her finger and laughed in exhilaration. She stood up and threw her arms around my neck, almost knocking me over. Together, we spun around the courtyard, lost in our own joy.

She stopped when we neared the entrance to the dining area and let go of me. "I think we should savor this night before it ends. I would love it if you accompanied me for another dance."

I bowed deeply and offered her my hand. "Your wish is my command. Shall we?"

**-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

**One Hour Later...**

I was at a table after another successful, and extremely fun dance. C.C. and I had both decided to take a rest and get some drinks before we returned, but she had seen her father and had gone to greet him while refilling her drink. As I waited, two familiar figures pushed their way out of the crowd and plopped themselves down at the table. "Onii-chan, where's C.C.?"

"She went to talk with her father, and to get something else to drink. She should be back shortly." I leaned in with an interested look on my face. "So? What about you two? Are you having fun?"

Euphy blushed and I noticed her hold on Suzaku's arm. "I see... I'm glad that you two are having fun as well."

"Lelouch, aren't you in a better mood than normal? I would have assumed that you would have been reluctant to go to such a party."

I scratched my head in embarrassment. "Normally, yes, I would be reluctant, but tonight, I did something that even I found to be surprising." I took a deep breath. "I proposed to the daughter and heir to one of the largest empires in Japan, and she accepted me. There's no reason for me to not be happy."

For a second, there was only shocked silence from the two of them before they began to shower me with their congratulations. Just then, an amplified voice rang through the building. _"To all my guests, I hope that you are all having a wonderful time. If I may take a few minutes of your time away tonight, I have a rather special speech to give."_

We stood up with the other party-goers and stood below a large balcony overlooking the entire main hall. C.C. walked out with her father and another person that I didn't recognize, though he looked around the same age as me. Her father cleared his throat and began to speak. "Once again, it gives me great pleasure to see so many of my friends here tonight. The topic I wish to speak about is something that I'm sure you have all heard me discuss before. As you all know, my daughter has been adamant in her choice of suitors, crushing the hopes of all those who have come to court her."

A murmur of conversation buzzed through the crowd at those words, and a chill began to run through my body. "However, as she is getting closer to becoming the next head of the Ciel family, I finally had to make a decision. That is why I announce my daughter's marriage to the son of one of the largest manufacturing empires in the Chinese Federation."

The blood drained from my face and C.C.'s face in an instant, and I nearly missed his final words. "Should anyone wish to challenge my decision, they must prove that they can not only win the heart of my daughter, but also win my approval. But, if no one manages to oppose this decision by the end of the month, then I will finalize my daughter's marriage to you... Mao."

* * *

**Chapter 6.5 - The Darkest Night**


	9. Book II Chapter 7: Ultimatum

**Author's Note: **Finals are done, I'm finally back home, everything is awesome! After a long struggle, I managed to finish the seventh chapter to _Virtues of the Heart_, sometime on my flight, somewhere between Colorado and Wisconsin. I hate to say it, but this chapter is going to be a bit dull. The real excitement is yet to come, and I have to build up to it somehow.

With Winter Break now upon me, I think I'll be able to put out chapters a bit more frequently than before, but it still probably won't be more than a chapter every two weeks or so. Book Two is getting closer and closer to its conclusion, and I actually want to finish it as quickly as possible so that I can start work on the final book and conclusion.

For now, that seems to be it! I hope you enjoy the newest chapter to the _Colors of My Soul_ series.

If you can, I would love it if you could leave me a review or send me a PM with any feedback you may have. And, as always, thank you for reading!

~TabiNoTochuu

* * *

**Book 2**

**Chapter 7 - Ultimatum**

I pushed my way through the crowd of people, not even noticing their mutters of disapproval as I forced my way toward the tables of the dining area. I all but collapsed into a chair and covered my face with a hand as I tried to calm my mind. _Calm down, Lelouch... Losing it here will do me no good and it'll won't help me win Cera back from that man._

"... Onii-chan... I'm sorry."

I glanced up and saw Euphy and Suzaku standing there, both with extremely worried expressions on their faces. I smiled slightly to try and reassure them, but I could tell that they did not believe me. "... This seems bad, but there's something else hidden here. Do you remember in his little speech where he told us that, 'Anyone who opposes my decision will have to prove that they can win both the heart of my daughter and my approval'?"

They both nodded, not seeing my point. I continued, somewhat more composed than I had been earlier. "I believe that her father is, in an indirect and irrevocable way, offering me a challenge. I had already met him before, and it felt like he liked me, but he refused to accept me because I was just another commoner."

"What are you going to do, Lelouch? You know that we'll support you through this. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask me."

I smiled gratefully at Suzaku. "Thank you. I may need that help sooner than you may think. I'll think of something, and I'll put it into effect before this month's up."

Just then, I was almost knocked off my seat as someone practically tackled me. I calmly regained my balance and looked down into the tearful face of C.C. Although it would have been better had I not seen her right now, at the same time, her presence gave me a new found strength and determination to succeed in my endeavors. "Cera... please don't cry in front of me. Gather your strength, and trust in me. I'll find a way to get us through this. Even if it takes every second of my time for the next month, I'll get your father to accept me. I promise."

In response, she only hugged me to herself tighter. Between sobs, she tried to talk, but it was so broken up that I couldn't understand exactly what she was trying to say to me. However, the meaning behind her words was immediately clear to me. "Don't worry. I promise that I'll succeed. Promise me that even if your father orders you to stay away from me that you'll wait for me."

She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath to try and compose herself and nodded with a smile on her face. "I p-promise. Even if it takes you forever, I promise to wait for you."

Just then, I felt someone step forward, close to me, and I looked up into the face of C.C.'s father. Though his face was neutral, I could tell his eyes held a degree of sadness. Instantly, I didn't forgave him for what he had done, as he had probably had to do it to keep face. I slowly stood up and stared into his eyes. In a loud voice, so that everyone around me could hear, I spoke. "Sir, I recall that you said that anyone who wishes to oppose your decision of your daughter's marriage can do so after winning her heart and your approval. Am I correct in my assumption that the offer still stands?"

He inclined his head slightly. "Of course. This offer is open to anyone, as long as they can complete the challenge that I set for them and win my daughter's heart."

I nodded and looked around. A large crowd had gathered, and now was the perfect time for me to make my announcement. "Then I challenge your decision. I do not believe this... Mao... is the right person for your daughter. My name is Lelouch Lamperouge, and I will do what should be impossible for someone of my standing. Though it may not seem so, I am a commoner. However, I will do what no commoner can do and win both your approval as well as the heart of your daughter."

The look in his eyes instantly changed to respect when he saw my unbreakable will. "What do you propose to do?"

I took a deep breath and grinned. "In one month, I will rise from being a commoner to being a member of the aristocracy. Using my own intelligence and nothing else, I will turn what little I have now into a good-sized fortune."

He laughed loudly. "An interesting challenge. You are indeed an unique man, Mr. Lamperouge. Very well. I accept the terms of this challenge. In one month, you must have made enough to be considered a member of the aristocracy. And since if you were to succeed, you would eventually go on to run the Ciel Corporation, you must prove that you have earned the same as what I have in this bank account." He took a napkin and wrote a figure on it.

My eyes bulged slightly at the number on the napkin. Though it may not seem like much to these people, the amount listed was enough to keep my sisters and I living in luxury for the rest of our lives, with enough left over for another three generations. At the bottom, he wrote out a series of numbers and letters and put a small key on the side. He winked at me and then turned to leave. "I wish you luck, Mr. Lamperouge. If you do manage to pull this off, then you will have made history as the only person to have made the sum of 850 million yen in a period of one month as a commoner."

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

**30 minutes later, Lamperouge Residence**

"Lelouch... I know that you said that you would complete the challenge set forth by C.C.'s father, but don't you think his challenge is too impossible?! There's no way that you can possibly make 850 million yen in just a month! I know you're smart, and you probably have some sort of plan in mind, but the time you have to accomplish this is completely insane!"

I held up a hand to stop Suzaku's arguments. I had already anticipated that he would put up an argument. "Suzaku... I know you don't think that this is possible, but you're right. I do have a plan to see this through, as long as I have your help."

He gritted his teeth and walked around the room. "Lelouch, you know that I want to help you in anyway that I can. I'm your friend, and I want to see you with C.C. as much as you want to be with her. However, I don't see any way for you to get through this."

I opened my mouth to respond, when there was a sudden knock on the door. Everyone looked up in surprise. I got up and walked to the door and looked through the window before I unlocked the door to let in a red-eyed C.C., still in the dress from this evening. She stared at me for a few seconds before she collapsed into my arms. "H-Hey! Pull yourself together!"

The others heard my yell and, with their help, we managed to carry C.C. into the living room and laid her on the couch. Her breathing was shallow and quick, and even from a distance, I could tell that she was burning up. "Euphy... get me a bowl of water and some clean towels. Suzaku, I need you to get some medicine from the bathroom, go into the medicine cabinet, and its the bottle on the second tier, fourth from the left."

They rushed off to get the respective items I requested while I sat next to the bed and kept a firm grip on C.C.'s hand. "... You idiot... you were in such a rush to come here that you overexerted yourself, didn't you?" I laughed slightly. "But then again, that's just like you."

Euphy came with the water and the towels, and I quickly soaked one in the cool water and gently laid it on C.C.'s forehead. She stirred slightly, but did not open her eyes. When Suzaku rushed over with the medicine, I slipped a spoonful of the medicine through her lips and dripped a little water into her mouth to help the medicine go down. "She'll be fine. She must have been under a lot of stress this evening, so it's not too surprising to see this happen." I turned to Suzaku. "Go home, Suzaku. You've done more than enough for today. I'll call you tomorrow so that we can meet and discuss my plan."

He sighed and held up his hands in defeat. "I got it. In that case, I'll see you tomorrow, Lelouch... I do hope that you have something amazing in store."

"You know me, if my first plan doesn't succeed, I'll have three more to use as backups."

With a wave, Suzaku opened the door and left, leaving just me and Euphy in the living room with C.C. "Euphy, you should go to bed too. You're going to catch a cold in those clothes, and you've seen your own share of excitement today."

"What about C.C., onii-chan? She can't spend the night on the couch..."

I carefully picked C.C. up in my arms and walked toward my room. "I'll let her sleep in my bed tonight. I'm not so cold-hearted that I'd make a sick girl sleep on the floor."

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

I opened the door to my room and laid her on my bed. _Crap... now that I think about it, she can't sleep in those clothes either... they're probably dirty and sleeping in a dress can't be comfortable, no matter how you look at it._ I gulped and shook C.C.'s shoulder. "Hey... you need to change into pajamas, otherwise you won't be able to sleep well. Or you'll wake up with a rash or something. C'mon... wake up for just a little bit, then I promise you can go back to sleep."

She made a small noise and opened her eyes. "Le...louch... I don't have any strength left in me... My body feels like it's on fire..."

"It's because you overexerted yourself in getting here. That, along with the fact that its pretty cold tonight caused you to come down with a cold..."

She blushed all of a sudden. "Can... Can y-you... um... c-c-c-change my clothes for me?"

"W-What?! T-There's no w-w-way I can do that! Just hurry up and get up and do it yourself."

She pouted and turned her head away from me. "And here I thought you cared about me... besides, its not like this is the most embarrassing thing we've done."

"It is!"

She thought for a second before her face fell. "Oh... you're right. But still, it's only to help me change. There's nothing to be afraid of, right?"

My face as red as it could be, I raised my hands in utter defeat. "Alright, Alright. I'll do it... Just... p-promise me that you're not using this for something else."

She smiled innocently at me. "What do you mean, Lelouch?"

"Never mind! Now, sit up... We'll start with the shirt." I picked up the t-shirt I had gotten from Euphy and laid it out on the bed. "U-Um... H-How do I g-g-get the dress off?"

"T-There's a zipper on the back..."

I carefully undid the zipper and began to pull the dress off her body. With the current situation, I couldn't help but feel even more embarrassed as I continued to take off the dress. Once it was almost off her body, I closed my eyes and held out the pajama top for her to stick her head and arms into. With that, it was easier for me to continue, though I couldn't help but still feel more than a little awkward.

With my eyes still more or less closed, I helped her into the pants and helped her adjust herself on my bed before I pulled the covers up to her neck. "Take it easy for a bit. You shouldn't strain yourself so much." I walked to the door and turned off the lights. "I'll come check up on you in a bit. Let me know if you need anything, alright?"

She nodded and closed her eyes. "... Thanks, Lelouch."

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

I let out a sigh as I stepped out of the bathroom. As I walked through the living room, I felt a slight breeze blow through my still-wet hair. I noticed that the door to the patio was slightly open. On the edge of the patio, I could see a person sitting, bundled up in a bunch of blankets. I quietly opened the sliding door and sat down next to her. "You'll get even worse if you stay outside in this cold weather."

C.C. jumped slightly at my sudden appearance. However, she turned back to stare out at the dark night sky. I tapped her shoulder and she opened the blankets enough for me to cover myself with them as well. "What are you thinking about?"

"Why does it feel like the world doesn't want us to be together? Ever since we've met, nothing has gone the way we've wanted them to go." She laid her head on my shoulder and continued to stare off into the distance. "It's as if we are being punished for something... We are closer than anything else, yet we can't seem to be together."

She laughed bitterly as tears rolled down her cheeks. I was alarmed to see this degree of distress from her, but I decided to stay silent until she calmed down. I put my arm around her and held her close while she cried on my shoulder. After a few minutes, her breathing slowed and she slumped against me. "Come on, Cera... Let's go back inside."

I helped her to her feet and we slowly walked inside. I closed the sliding door to make sure the freezing cold wind would not make it into the house. Back in my room, I helped her back into the bed and sat down on the edge and held her hand. "... Your fever is going up again... You shouldn't have gone outside..."

She smiled gently. "I'm sorry... It's just that... seeing the stars, especially on a clear night like this, really helps me calm down and lets me think through things without looking over details."

I stroked her hair and brushed it away from her face. "I see... Well, next time, pick a day and time when you aren't sick, and when it's not so cold out."

For a few minutes, there was no sound in the room except for the buzzing of the lights and the sound of wind outside. Suddenly, I felt a warm hand grasp mine. "Lelouch... I was thinking about something, and I want to tell you about it." She turned and looked out the window with a half smile on her face. "I want us to go to the top of that mountain over there and go stargazing together."

"That's not too hard of a request. We can go tomorrow night if your fever goes down."

She shook her head. "That's not what I meant... I want us to go there after this is over, together."

My face turned slightly red as I grasped her meaning. However, I smiled and held her in my arms. "Alright then. I promise." I looked over her shoulder at the stars outside my window. "When this is all over, I promise that I'll take you stargazing there."

She closed her eyes and with a final smile, laid her head against the pillow. Within moments, her breathing had evened out as sleep took its hold on her. I stayed up for a few minutes longer before I planted a kiss on her forehead and laid back. Within seconds, my eyelids closed.

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

I groaned as I felt a tap on my forehead. I cracked open my eyes and stared at the glowing display on the alarm clock near my face. It took me a few seconds to fully understand what the numbers meant. "Cera... It's four in the morning... Why did you wake me up at this time?"

I shifted my body in order to face her. She looked just as sleepy as I did, but her face was tense and filled with worry. "What's wrong?"

She sat up in the bed and stared out of the window at the still dark world outside. "Lelouch... This might sound absolutely crazy, but I have a request to make right now." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "T-Take me stargazing now, please."

I stared at her for a moment before I laid back and sighed. "Are you serious? It's four in the morning! The stars are about to be gone for all we know... And anyways, why now? We could have gone tomorrow."

She shook her head. "I d-don't know... It just feels like something terrible is going to happen soon that may prevent us from doing so in the future... I don't know why I think this, but I also don't think I'm wrong."

I pushed myself upright and gathered her up in my arms. "Don't worry about it. Nothing bad is going to happen, alright? I'm here with you. Let's just go back to sleep. I promise that I will take you stargazing, just not tonight. As soon as all this is over, we can go anywhere in the world to see the stars."

She seemed unconvinced, but she lied down again and closed her eyes. "Maybe you're right... Perhaps I'm just overly worried these few days."

Just as I laid back and prepared to go back to sleep, my eyes happened to focus on the starry night. At that moment, a single shooting star raced across that specific patch of sky. However, it was unlike any other shooting star I had ever seen before. Not only was it significantly longer and larger, but it was also a light red in color. I just had enough time to wonder what such a comet meant before I fell asleep once more.

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

Sunlight filtered in through my blinds as the first rays of the sun hit the house. I groaned as one particularly intense beam hit me directly in the eyes. "... Perfect... Cera... it's time to get up..."

There was no answer from behind me, and I sighed, assuming that she was still fast asleep. "Hey, it's time to get up. Come on, now. Don't be so lazy and get-" I turned around to see her half of the bed empty. "... up?"

I flung the covers off of myself and jumped out of bed. "Cera? Are you in the bathroom?"

There was no answer, and I headed downstairs, prepared for the worst. Just as I hit the bottom step, there was a noise from the kitchen akin to a hand grenade going off in a box. Just then, black smoke started to pour out of the kitchen. I raced inside to find C.C., frantically running around the kitchen, trying to get the smoke out, which seemed to be coming from the oven.

"W-What are you doing?! Quick, open a window!"

At the sound of my voice, she jumped in surprise and dropped the pot of water she was holding, completely drenching herself and further adding to the mess in the kitchen. I ran in and opened all the windows I could and took whatever was in the oven outside. After a few minutes, the smoke had more or less circulated out of the room, and I was able to breathe again.

I grabbed a towel and began to wipe the floor when C.C. ran towards me and flung her arms around me. "I-I'm s-s-sorry!"

I gave a small sigh, but once I saw her tearful face, there was nothing I could do but forgive her. "What were you trying to do there? From what I could see and smell, it looked like you were creating a new biological weapon to use in combat."

She wiped her eyes and punched me lightly. "D-Don't make fun of me... I was thinking that you would like it if... I made you breakfast and served it to you in bed..."

Her face was bright crimson as she said this, and I almost laughed at the innocent nature of what she had been doing. Well, to be honest, the pan of... stuff outside looked somewhat like food, and I couldn't say I didn't appreciate her efforts. "What were you trying to make?"

C.C.'s face reddened even further as her voice grew softer. "A... A p-p-p-pizza."

"Was this your first time cooking?"

She nodded shamefully and hung her head in front of me, completely embarrassed. "I t-t-tried to follow the instructions on the internet... I don't know why it did something like that..."

I took a look at the oven, which had been turned up to the highest possible heat setting. "What temperature did the recipe tell you to set the oven for?"

She looked up, surprised. "Eh? Um... Three hundred degrees, if I remember correctly."

"Then why is the oven set for six hundred degrees?"

I almost laughed at the bewildered face she made when I asked her this. "B-But... if I was supposed to set it to three hundred... wouldn't setting it to six hundred make it finish twice as fast?"

This time, I couldn't stop the laughter that had built up inside of me all this time. I laughed harder than I ever had before, so much that it hurt. Every time I was about to stop, the look on her face set me off once more. After some time, I finally managed to stop laughing and looked over at C.C. She had an expression on her face that seemed to be half confused and half offended. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It seems like I'm going to have to teach you all about cooking before your next attempt. How about this? You can help me make breakfast, and I'll teach you what I can in that time."

Her face brightened up and she nodded enthusiastically before she jumped to her feet. For the next couple of hours, I set to work making breakfast for me, C.C., my sisters, and Suzaku, who should be arriving sometime in the early afternoon. For someone who had no idea how to cook, C.C. was a fast learner, and she was soon able to take in enough to be able to make the omelets.

We set the table and brought out the food just as Suzaku arrived. I called Euphy and Nunally downstairs and sat at the end of the table. After some initial greetings, we began breakfast.

"Lelouch... I'm still curious as to what your plan is. I still don't see how you can possibly make that much money in a month. Your time is already dwindling, and all odds are against you."

I turned to Suzaku and smiled. "Perfect timing. Since everybody is here right now, I can tell you all about my plan."

I looked around the table and grinned confidently before I continued. "It's not exactly simple, but it will almost certainly work. I call it..."

"Zero Requiem."

* * *

**Chapter 7 - ****Ultimatum**


	10. Book II Chapter 8: Betrayal::Retribution

**Author's note: **After much procrastination and a LOT of brainstorming, I finally managed to get the 8th chapter of _Virtues of the Heart_ finished! Wow... Now that I look back, it's been quite a long time since I first started writing (almost a year, in fact). The end of the story draws near, and with it, the start of the next book, and the final installation in the _Colors of My Soul _series. The story will continue and conclude with chapter 10, though there will be an epilogue after that as well (or maybe chapter 10 will be the epilogue. I don't know yet).

Book III will be shorter than the first two books, since it's not going to be AU or anything like that. I have the general storyline set out, but it's still a work very much in progress.

As for this chapter, a familiar face shows up once more, though her role may not be as prominent as you may think.

I hope you enjoy the newest chapter of _Colors of My Soul_, and as always, thanks for reading!

Until Next Time,

~TabiNoTochuu

P.S. Requiem - any piece of music composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person or persons

P.S.S. Stupid character limit... Chapter's title needed to be shortened.

* * *

**Book 2**

**Chapter 8 - Betrayal and Retribution**

"Zero... Requiem? Doesn't that sound a bit... I don't know, strange?"

I glared at Suzaku, now a bit embarrassed at the name that I had chosen for my plan. However, I forced down that feeling and continued to lay out the basics of my plan. "I think it was rather appropriate for this situation. The Lelouch you all know will cease to exist, and a new me will be reborn from the ashes of the past."

At this explanation, I saw Suzaku nod slightly in acknowledgment before he continued to stare at me attentively. I took a deep breath and began to speak once more. "I'm sure you all had ideas on how I was going to make the deadline. I know you were all expecting something flashy and impressive, but that's not the way I do things."

I reached under the table and pulled out a battered suitcase. I undid the locks and opened it to reveal a beautiful, but worn out set of chess pieces. From the looks of the people around me, I could tell they didn't believe that I could make so much money from just a game like this. Suzaku took a look at the chess set and then turned back to look at me. "Lelouch... are you sure about this? I'm not quite sure that you can use this method to make money..."

I stared him dead in the eye so that he could see the determination burning in my eyes. "Suzaku... do you trust me?"

He sighed and laid his head on the table. "You know that I do, Lelouch. There's no one that I would trust more than you. However, I think that you need to rethink this plan. How do you plan on making 850 million from just this? It's unheard of!"

"You might not like this, but at this point, there isn't much else that I can do, especially since I don't believe the entire journey will be a smooth one. There will definitely be things and people that will try and hinder my progress, and this method is the one where I can operate undetected for the longest period of time." I took a deep breath and plucked the black king from its cradle. "I plan to use my chess skills and gamble. Believe it or not, there are quite a few rich and powerful people that believe their abilities are the best, and they wager heavily on matches like this."

For a brief moment, there was a shocked silence as they tried to process what I had just said. "Lelouch! You can't be serious! Those people are the best in all of Japan! And though the money made can be incredible, the chances of winning are extremely small!"

I held up my hands, silencing the flow of arguments from my sisters and Suzaku. "Don't underestimate my abilities. All I ask is for you to trust in me to carry out my promise. I won't lose." I allowed a smirk to spread across my face. "Not to people of such low skill."

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

After we finished talking, I went up to my room and opened up my closet. From the very back, I pulled out a box, covered with dust from unuse. I opened it carefully and pulled out a bundle of clothes from inside. From the pile, I pulled out a set of dress clothes that were vastly contrasting from those that I had inside my wardrobe. I've had this box of clothes for years now, but I've never had the opportunity to actually wear them. Considering the circumstances, this would be a good time to put it to use to further my plan.

I put on the black dress pants, marveling at how they still fit me reasonably well, even though it's been years since I first received them. After that came a slim-fitting white button-up shirt with a tie, finishing up with a suit top to complete the set. I jumped as someone laid their hands on my shoulders. "... You look nice."

My tension eased as I heard the soft, melodious tones of C.C.'s voice from behind me. "Thank you." However, even though I couldn't see her, I could feel the worry emanating from her body. "... Are you worried about me?"

Her hands tightened on my shoulders as I said that. "... You idiot... you know exactly why I'm worried. Why didn't you tell Suzaku, Euphy and Nunnally about it?"

As I had expected, there was no escaping her sharp mind. When I had explained the plan to my sisters and Suzaku, I had left out a very key point. These games were also highly illegal and those who play are sometimes people with numerous contacts in various criminal organizations throughout Japan. Saying the wrong thing or acting too cocky can easily get me killed. I let my hands fall to my sides. "I have to do this, C.C... For everyone's sake. I just have to be extra careful throughout this endeavor. I cannot afford to make a single mistake, not when so much is on the line."

She made a fist with one hand and made as if to hit me, but her hand just weakly thudded against my shoulders before I felt her lean against me. Then, as her body began to tremble, I realized that she had begun to cry. "I c-can't have you d-d-do this, Lelouch... It's too dangerous! You could easily be k-killed and none of us would know." Her voice grew weaker as she continued. "I can't bear the thought of a life... without you in it."

I turned around and gathered her in my arms. "Shh... Don't worry. No matter what happens, I promise I'll come out of this alive. And, even if something should happen, I will find a way to return to you. One way or another, I will never let you be alone."

I kissed the top of her head as her crying slowed. "I promise."

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

**Babel Tower**

I got out of the limousine with Suzaku and stared up at the massive tower in front of me. This building was, to outsiders, a normal luxury hotel and casino, catering to those who have a taste for the risks associated to gambling. However, on the top floors, off-limits to most people, was a special gambling area restricted to only those who had the power and money to wage the highest stakes. I reached back inside the limousine and pulled out a large steel briefcase. After I took a quick look around, I opened the latches and cracked open the case a little.

Stacks and stacks of bills filled the suitcase, totaling 25 million yen total. "... Thank you, Suzaku. I'll be sure to return the money to you once I reach my goal."

He laid a hand on my shoulder, but made no move to return to the car. "Don't thank me, Lelouch. You do what you have to. However, you don't have to do it all alone. I'm coming with you."

I held up a hand in refusal. This fight was mine alone, and I refused to drag anyone else into this mess. Suzaku grabbed my hand and pushed me toward the entrance of the tower. "This isn't something that you can refuse. I have the ability to protect you if something bad were to happen. I can't let you shoulder this heavy burden by yourself."

I smiled and held up my hands in defeat. I had known that Suzaku would insist on coming, and truthfully, I was happy to have someone like him with me on this endeavor. This was just like him; ever since we were kids, he had always been the one who tried to protect everyone. I had already lost count of the number of times he had intervened through the years to protect my sisters and I. He was my most precious friend, and hopefully, with some luck, the soon-to-be husband of my sister. "Alright, Suzaku. Let's go."

The front doors slid open and a wave of sound from the main lobby assaulted our ears. All around us, people were playing games at various tables and machines. We advanced forward to the central plaza, where a large crowd had gathered around a deep pit at the center. From a booth, an announcer shouted at the wandering people, asking for more bets in the current event. "Today, we bring you a special event that we rarely ever see! Many times have you asked for it, but now, your favorite event is back! I give you... the sibling duel!"

I glanced down into the pit to see two young men, most likely only a few years older than I fighting desperately with each other. Even from this distance, I could clearly tell the resemblance between the two of them, and I felt a black fury rise within me as I stared at the proceedings. "... That's disgusting. And to think these people think of themselves as upper class aristocrats. They're nothing more than trash."

As I rounded the corner, heading for the private elevator to the upper floors, I ran headlong into someone. I felt a cold liquid seep into my pants and pushed my self up. "I-I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking at where I was going."

My ears perked up at the sound of a girl's voice. A young girl, who looked around my age, held out a towel toward me with a trembling hand. "P-Please don't tell the manager... My family needs the money, and I can't afford to lose this job."

I looked her over. Her athletic physique had been forced into an extremely uncomfortable looking bunny suit, and she looked like she was on the verge of bursting into tears. I took the towel from her and began to wipe my pants. "Don't worry. There's no harm done. Please don't look so worried, I promise I'm not going to tell any of the casino staff."

"B-But... You're an aristocrat, and you hold my life in your hands. One word from you and I would lose everything I have..."

I laid a hand on her shoulder and gave her a warm smile. "What makes you think I'm an aristocrat? I'm a commoner, just like you." I frowned for a second as I thought back on something she had said a few seconds ago. "You said you needed this job for your family. If you don't mind me asking, why are you so desperately in need of money?"

Her head slumped down and a single tear ran down her face. "My mother has been fighting a dangerous disease for a long time now, and we don't have enough money to pay for all our bills along with her medicine. I was offered this job a while back, and I took it only because it paid well enough that I could pay for medicine and other small things for my father and brother."

The barely suppressed rage that had been building in me reached a peak. What kind of world is it where the rich enjoy themselves when an entire group of people are dying and suffering right on their doorsteps? "... What if I told you that after the end of today, you wouldn't need to worry about money anymore."

She looked at me in confusion. "If that were to happen, I think I could just die of happiness. I can't keep working here forever, but no other jobs I can get will pay for my family's expenses..."

"Hm. When do you get off of work?"

"Eh? Um... Around 7:00... Why do you ask?"

I stood up and held out a hand to her, helping her up from the ground. "Meet me outside the casino after you get off work. If everything goes right today, I may be able to solve your monetary problems for the time being."

Her eyes showed her disbelief that something like this could really be happening. "I-I'll be sure to be there! Thank you very much!"

Before she could leave, I grabbed her hand. "Before you go, what is your name?"

She brushed the red hair out of her eyes and smiled. "My name is Kallen Kozuki. I won't forget your kindness."

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

In the elevator, Suzaku was strangely silent. After a little bit, he asked a question. "... Lelouch, are you sure what you did back there was wise? I'm not against you doing a good deed, but it sets you back in your plans, possibly enough that you won't make the deadline..."

I glanced over at him and grinned. "Do you have no faith in me? My schedule for winning doesn't end at the end of this month. I had planned to have earned all 850 million yen by the end of this week."

His eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "T-This week?! You're crazy! With that sort of timeline, you'd have to win every single game you play, and do so every day of the week!"

I stepped forward as the elevator came to a halt and the doors slid open smoothly, revealing a posh hallway in front of me. A single guard stood in front of an ornate door. "That's my plan exactly, Suzaku. And I will succeed."

At first, I was worried that the guard would not allow us to enter the room, but a brief peek inside the suitcase I held told him otherwise, and he quickly opened the door. I stepped into a rather barren room compared to the wealth displayed outside its doors. Several wooden tables lined the room, and there were two people at each, with a chessboard between them. After a quick look around, I confirmed my guess. I recognized several world-famous chess players, as well as some rich aristocrats that had been in the news recently.

I found an empty table and sat down wordlessly. The man across from me, a beefy, tough-looking man, gave me a leer. "Is this a joke? They send a schoolboy to play against me?"

I gave him a smile without any warmth in it and placed the suitcase on the table and slowly opened the latches. His eyes widened somewhat at the stacks of bills inside. "This is no joke, I assure you. I came here today for one reason and one reason only; to play."

My mind had already processed all the information I needed to know about this man. He was a fairly prominent figure in the local mafia, and the police file on him called him "The Black King". Surprisingly, such a brutal man had a taste and talent for chess, and used this to earn extra money for his group. At most, he would pose a mediocre challenge.

"I admire your nerve, boy. How about I give you a deal? If you manage to beat me, I will pay you double what you have bet. But then again, there's no way you could win against me."

I placed the case on the table and adjusted myself in the chair. "In that case, I'll wager all the money in this suitcase against you. 25 million yen. Would you like to count it?"

The black king grinned at his henchmen around him. In his mind, this was an easy win, an easy 25 million made beating a schoolboy. Never did the thought that maybe this "schoolboy" was a little too confident cross his mind.

Six minutes later, I moved my knight forward. "I believe that's checkmate."

The black king seemed to be at a loss for words as he stared at the chessboard in front of him. Normally, being beaten by a boy would have been bad enough, but I had managed, though not purposely, to defeat him in a much more humiliating manner. I had won without losing a single piece. He wordlessly reached into his pocket and pulled out his checkbook and wrote out a check. Then, he seemed to lose consciousness completely as his henchmen dragged him from the room. I pocketed the check with a wink at Suzaku and stood up, searching for another empty table.

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

I stood outside the casino and glanced at my watch. "6:55... She should be here soon." I turned to see Suzaku standing beside me, with such an amazed look on his face that it made me laugh. "What's the matter with you?"

"I... I d-don't believe it. You beat some of the greatest chess players in the world today. What's more, you managed earn nearly half the required amount... How... How did you do it?"

I opened my mouth to explain when I spotted Kallen walking out of the building. I decided to hold off on the explanation until another time, when we were away from prying ears. I waved at her and faced Suzaku again. "I'll tell you, I promise. However, I can't until this endeavor of mine is over. I swear that I will tell you once I make the required sum."

The redhead approached us a bit timidly, but she still did not allow herself to be overly threatened by our obvious power. That was something that I had noticed about her early on, and it was something that I admired about her. I reached into my pocket and handed her a check for 50 million yen. Her eyes widened as she saw the amount written on it, and her legs almost failed her right there and then. "I always keep my promises. I hope that you will be able to help your family with that money, and that it may help you find a better job."

She gave me such a brilliant smile that it made me feel like I had done something right with my life and the abilities that were bestowed upon me. The limo arrived and I opened the door for her. I didn't feel safe letting her walk home with a check for 50 million in her pocket.

After we left, she became more talkative as she seemed to get more comfortable around us. "... If you don't mind me asking, Mr. Lamperouge, why is it you decided to go to the upper floors? I've only heard tales and snippets of what happens in the upper floors."

"Don't call me that. It feels... unnatural for me to be addressed that way. And as for the reason why I had chosen to go to the upper floors of this casino... well, I'm chasing after my dream in the only way that I can."

Before she could ask, I answered the question that I could see forming in the back of her head. "If you really must know, I was given a... challenge by a certain someone. If I wish to be together with the one I love, then I have to do this. I'm sorry if I'm a bit vague, but I cannot tell you all the details."

The car slowed and stopped in front of a modest two-story house and the chauffeur opened the door for the redhead. "I understand. Perhaps... perhaps we'll meet again someday. I hope that I will be able to repay the kindness you have shown me today."

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

**Lamperouge Residence**

I opened the door and fumbled with my keys until I finally found the right one. The inside of the house seemed rather dark, but I assumed that it was because everyone had fallen asleep. I walked into the kitchen and opened the freezer. I pulled out a bottle of water and walked upstairs. "Euphy? Are you asleep?"

There was no noise from her room, and a faint seed of doubt began to grow within me. I opened her door to find that both my sisters were not in their rooms like I had believed. I checked my room as well to be sure, as well as the bathroom, but there was no sign of anyone in the house. As I ran into the darkened living room, my eyes made out the shape of a person sitting on the couch.

The lights brightened in an instant and I felt a heavy hand slam me into the couch. Then, my blood turned to ice as I heard a familiar voice. "Well, well, well... the genius Lelouch returns successful from his journey."

I turned my face slightly to see Mao on the couch, a twisted smirk on his face, and what looked to be a silenced pistol in his lap. "I've been watching you for a while, Lelouch. At first, I didn't even think it was possible for you to earn anywhere close to the correct amount, but something inside me told me otherwise. You've been quite successful today, my friend. Too successful, in fact."

I growled through gritted teeth. "What do you want from me, you bastard?"

The light of insanity in his eyes had grown and it seemed to reach a breaking point. "Oh, I think you know very well what I want from you." He pointed the pistol at me and made a very exaggerated show of pulling back on the slide. "I want you to stop trying to make the money. I've worked too hard for too long to let a mere kid step all over my plans. I will take over the Ciel corporation, even if it means I have to kill everyone in my way."

"You... Don't think you can get away with this! C.C. won't let you, and I'm certain that if you try anything at all, you would be behind bars faster than you can act."

The maniacal grin on his face grew wider, and a terrible thought occurred to me. "But... What if there was no way for her to speak out against me? I've never told you what I do, right? I've been researching the human mind for years now, and with the help of technology, I can brainwash anyone I choose."

Mao pulled out a pocket watch and glanced at it. "Even as we speak, my employees have already begun the process on your precious C.C.'s mind. When I'm done with her, she won't even recognize you anymore." He paused for a second as another thought entered his head. "And about your sisters... They're also at my compound, safe from harm... for now. Should you attempt a hero's rescue attempt, then perhaps I might be annoyed enough to put a bullet into one of them."

He motioned and the hand on my head lifted. Mao walked forward and out of my line of sight. "Remember your place, Lelouch. It would not do for your sisters to get hurt because of your stupid sentiments. I'll be sure to return them to you... after the wedding."

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

I pulled out my cell phone and punched in Suzaku's number. In a barely coherent voice, I managed to tell him what had happened. No sooner had he heard did he hang up, and I knew he wasn't too long from arriving at my door. _Pull yourself together, Lelouch. He may have been a step ahead of you this time, but the fight isn't over yet. Just think of it as... a game of chess. I just need to see the entire board instead of the individual pieces._

Instantly, I felt the sense of despair disappear, to be replaced with an unnatural calmness. My mind grasped at the pieces of the puzzle in front of me and twisted them until they fit in a way that was beneficial to me. By the time Suzaku had arrived, I had a CD in one hand, and a determined grin on my face. "Go get Kallen, Suzaku. We're going to need all the help we can get."

"I'm almost afraid to ask... What are you going to do?"

I tapped the CD and grinned. "We're going to rescue C.C. and my sisters. I have a plan."

* * *

**Chapter 8 - ****Betrayal and Retribution**


	11. Book II Chapter 9: Final Turn

**Author's note:** I've been off the radar for quite a bit now, haven't I? For a while now, I haven't been motivated to write. Sure, I had all my ideas down, but it was so tiring for me to actually connect the ideas that I gave up on doing the story for quite a bit. However, after taking a much-needed break from school and other responsibilities (thank you, Spring Break), I've started writing again.

This chapter is the final one, at least before the epilogue. The conflict finally gets resolved, but the story doesn't end here. I for one, thought that the ending bit was a little bit rushed, but I needed to finish off the conflict before the story got too long.

Chapter 10, the epilogue, and possibly an extra chapter will hopefully be coming out within two to three weeks, and I hope to hear your suggestions as my readers on what you might like to see in Book III, which I've already begun laying out.

P.S. I know there are some things in here that may seem a bit unrealistic, but then again, we're talking about a fantasy world where countries fight with giant robots.

Until Next Time!

~TabiNoTochuu

**P.S.S. - To those who noticed Suzkau disappeared in the ending, thanks for pointing that out. Turns out I had uploaded a slightly older version of this story, and it was missing a few lines that tell what happened. Don't expect too much though. At this point, Suzaku is nothing more than a minor character (actually... he's been a minor character all along in this story.)**

* * *

**Book II**

**Chapter 9 - Final Turn**

I opened my laptop and popped the disk into the drive. While the computer read the disk, I opened up a highly secure video chat program that rich celebrities and politicians normally used. I entered an ID into the program and waited for the call to connect. "Lelouch... Shouldn't we leave? We gain nothing from staying here, and with the circumstances, time is something we do not have."

I held up a hand, silencing Suzaku's objections while I opened up another program. "I know what's at stake here. But, this is something I have to do or we will not succeed."

A beep sounded as the call connected. I turned my attention to the computer screen to see the smug face of Mao. "Hello Lelouch. I hope you're calling to tell me that you've given up. I see no other reason for you to contact me."

I gave him a cold smile and shook my head. "I'm afraid not. You see, you've taken something very important to me, and this isn't something that I can forgive, let alone ignore. So, I'm here to tell you one thing and one thing only. Prepare yourself, because I'm coming to find you. And when I do, you had better hope that I feel merciful."

He laughed at my declaration. "I'll look forward to it. Brave words, coming from someone who has no information at all. You're smart, I'll give you that. But intelligence isn't the only thing you need." He gave me a mocking smile before he disconnected the call.

I felt Suzaku's hand on my shoulder, but I kept my eyes on the screen. "Don't worry, Lelouch. I'll do what I can to find him. I'm here to help."

A small notification screen popped up and I clicked on it to open a real-time satellite feed of our city. The screen quickly zoomed and narrowed down an area of the map, and marked it with a glowing green dot. I looked back at the confused expressions on Suzaku and Kallen's faces, and smiled. "I attached a virus to that previous call. That's why I had to call Mao. With this, I can trace where he called from. And, as an added bonus, the virus allows me to completely hack into his computer network, giving me access to his security systems."

Suzaku and Kallen stared at me for a moment in astonishment. "I never knew you were so... skilled with computers, Lelouch... Any other surprises you have in store for us?"

I tapped a few keys on the laptop and closed the lid. "Maybe. We'll just have to see how it goes." I stood up and headed for the door. "Let's go."

A hand on my shoulder stopped me. "Lelouch, you have a great idea, but you're missing a very important factor. What will we do if his guards are armed? Do you plan on taking them on barehanded?"

I stopped dead in my tracks. I had _not_ thought about the possibility of an armed and obedient security force. More precisely, I had fooled myself into thinking that the security would not fire upon a group of innocent and harmless children, but knowing Mao's character, this wouldn't be out of the question. Suzaku motioned for me to follow him, and we walked out to a van he had parked outside. He opened the back doors and revealed military-grade equipment fit for a small army. For a second, I stood there, just trying to take in the sight. "W-Where... Where did you get all of these?"

He hung his head slightly in embarrassment. "One of the assets my father owns is a weapons company. It was easy for me to divert a miniature fragment of our stock for this. No doubt he'll find out sooner or later, but given the circumstances, I don't think he'll mind."

A closer look in the van showed three bulletproof vests, a few pistols, tasers, and what looked like a pile of grenades. I picked one up and squinted at it. "Ah! You might want to be careful with that. It's a flash grenade. Pull the pin and toss it, and it'll temporarily blind and deafen anyone within a 15-meter radius, including yourself if you're not careful... Totally nonlethal too, if you're wondering."

The van also had what seemed like a fully functional surveillance system, the kind you see in detective movies. I raised a questioning eyebrow at Suzaku, which only made his embarrassment deepen. "We... uh... have another friend in the business. I thought it might be useful."

I smiled and rested my hand on his shoulder. "Thank you. I could not ask for a better friend than you. I will never forget what you have done for me."

"Let's go."

******-oOo-oOo-oOo**

I stopped the van outside a normal looking research facility. The signal from Mao's call had led me here, and it was here that I hoped to rescue C.C. from his hands. I turned off the engine and climbed into the back. Suzaku and I strapped on bulletproof vests and began to arm ourselves. I noticed the magazines for the pistols weren't filled with normal bullets, and a closer inspection revealed them to be tranquilizer darts. Suzaku noticed what I was looking at and gave a shrug. "We're here for a rescue mission, but that doesn't mean we have to kill everyone on sight. I did bring a few with live ammunition, and I hope we will not have to use those."

Before we stepped out, I turned to Kallen, who was struggling to get into her bulletproof vest. "Listen. I appreciate the fact that you were willing to come help me, even though we only met today. However, I cannot allow you to put yourself into danger like this. That's why I want you to monitor the security feeds and keep an eye out for us."

She looked disappointed, but at the same time, slightly relieved. Kallen nodded and sat down in front of the monitors and gave me a thumbs up. "Go get them, Lelouch. I believe in you."

I made a silent prayer and stepped out of the van. From afar, we looked normal enough, but any close inspection would reveal the bulletproof vests under our clothes and the weapons at our sides. We would have to try our best to not be noticed. And if we were, then we would have to make the plan succeed however we can.

I pulled out my cell phone and squinted at the screen for a second. I had hacked it to bring up a fully detailed 3-D layout of the compound in front of us. We obviously couldn't just walk through the front entrance, and the other doorways were also guarded carefully. But, as I looked over the blueprints, an obvious weakness came to mind. "Suzaku... I've found us a way in. But... you're not going to like it."

"What do you mean? What kind of entrance is it?"

I grimaced and turned to him. "The kind where you might want to throw your shoes away afterwards."

******-oOo-oOo-oOo**

Our boots sloshed through water as we made our way through the tunnel systems. At a fork, we paused while I quickly checked my phone again. "... This is the last time I listen to you when you pick a route for us. Of all the possible ways we could have gotten in, you had to pick the sewers."

I turned to him with an exasperated expression on my face. After analyzing various entrance routes, this had turned out to be the one with the largest probability of success without detection. However, this did mean we had to make our way through the large, maze-like sewer systems, filled with god knows what. Luckily, it seems Mao did not expect anyone to come through the sewers, and there was no security or cameras that we could see.

"I got it already... I'm sorry there isn't a better route, okay? Just bear with it a little longer. According to the map, we're almost there."

Sure enough, we soon came to a set of stairs leading up to a metal door. We gladly left the sewers behind us and carefully made our way to the door. Suzaku slowly opened it, careful not to make a sound, and we peeked through the crack. After we had made sure there were no guards around, we both proceeded through to the hallway beyond the metal door.

"Kallen, we should be inside the main compound of the building now. I can see cameras in front of us, do you think you can do anything about it?"

There was a burst of static, then her uncertain voice responded. "Uhm... I would, but I don't know what I should do... Is there a way that I can keep you off the cameras?"

"On the console in front of you, there should be a series of buttons. Press the blue and red ones. Those will start a loop of footage I recorded from their security system, and it will also allow you to pretty much control their entire security network. They will only see the looped video we want them to, but you will be able to see everything in real time."

There was a slight pause, then Kallen responded. "Got it. The loop should be running now, and we should be in control of their systems."

"Thank you. We're moving past the cameras now, can you see us?"

"Yeah. Keep going forward toward the door in front of you, but be careful. There are two guards stationed right outside of the door, one on each side."

"Understood. Keep us informed."

Suzaku and I quickly made our way to the door. Muffled sounds from the other side told us that there were two people just on the other side of the metal door. I opened the door as slowly as possible, and pulled out a taser from a pouch on my leg. I held up three fingers to Suzaku, signaling that we would attack them in three seconds, and he nodded and pulled out his own taser.

I grabbed the first guard and jabbed the taser into his side and pressed the button, sending 50,000 volts of electricity into his body. He collapsed without a sound, and before his partner could react, Suzaku grabbed him and subdued him as well. We tied up the two guards and left them behind us as we proceeded through the compound.

******-oOo-oOo-oOo**

"Sir!"

Mao turned to the security guard who had just shown up and frowned at him. "What is it? You know I told you not to interrupt me at this stage in the operation."

"Yes, sir. But it's-"

"Perhaps your tiny, insignificant mind was unprepared for the order I gave it, and decided to forget the order the moment I issued it."

"Sir. Two intruders have broken into the compound. It appears that they entered through the sewer system."

A chilling smile appeared on Mao's face. "Two intruders? So... You really came, Lelouch... But, even if you did bring help, I will not allow you to ruin my plans." He turned to the security guard, who had been fidgeting nervously in his spot. "You. Tell the security team to regroup on this floor. They will not be allowed to enter this room, am I clear?"

"Y-Yes sir."

Before he could turn and leave, Mao's voice floated through the air once more. "Oh, and please remember to tell the security team that the use of deadly force is permitted. Do what you have to in order to bring them down, dead or alive."

The moment the guard left, Mao turned his attention back to the computer screen in front of him, and the form of a girl on a white operating table, with what looked like a crown of thorns on her head. The screen showed a progress bar that was more than 85% filled. "Soon... Even they will not be able to stop me."

He laughed out loud, and all who heard him could hear the insanity in his voice. "Lelouch... you are already too late."

******-oOo-oOo-oOo**

Suzaku placed a hand against my chest and pushed me back, slowing me down. "What? Why are we stopping? We have to get to the room before it's too late."

"I know, Lelouch, but think about something. After those two guards by the sewers, how many other guards have you seen?"

I thought about it for a second. "None. We were lucky that we haven't encountered any others. It's the only reason why we are making so much progress."

Suzaku shook his head. "Look at you. Your haste in trying to save C.C. has muddled your mind. What if this is what Mao wanted? He could have pulled back his security team around him and he could be just waiting for you to show up."

I calmed down and thought about what he just said. Now that I really thought about it, it _was_ strange that we had encountered no guards after the initial two. I cursed myself for letting my haste get to me, and for being careless enough to almost walk into a trap. "Kallen. Can you take a look at the cameras on the 16th floor? Tell me what you see."

"Just a minute..." I could hear her tapping on the keyboard, then a sudden intake of breath. "Lelouch... all of his security forces are there, surrounding the operating room. They've barricaded the entire area, and all of them are armed."

I ground my teeth in frustration, until I happened to look up. An idea formed in my head, and I worked it until I decided it was feasible. "Kallen. Can you check the building layout? Tell me if the operating room has air vents in it."

"Yes, it does. But, are you sure you want to go that way? I can't shut off the fans from here."

"We'll find a way. This is the only method that will get us past Mao's security without getting shot to pieces."

Suzaku pulled the grate off the air vent above us and gave me a boost into the vent. "Alright... Keep crawling forward, and take the left path at the end of the vent. From there, I'll try and find you a way that doesn't have a fan for you to deal with, because it might get very loud if you do have to stop it."

"If we do come to one, we'll figure out what we need to do when we get there."

******-oOo-oOo-oOo**

Mao looked up in irritation at the same security guard who had intruded not too long ago. "Why must you disturb me when I'm working? Wasn't one time enough for you?"

The man fidgeted in his spot, knowing that the insane man in front of him held his life on the line with a single word. "Sir... They've entered the air vents, and are trying to use that method to bypass our security."

Mao's eyes lit up with amusement. "Interesting... You might be clever, but not clever enough to outwit me, Lelouch..." He thought for a moment, then turned back to the guard. "I want you to turn off the fans in the ventilation systems. All of them."

"Sir? But that would let him make his way to you easily."

"That is of no consequence. In fact, I would be more than happy to see him right now. And, I'm sure there's another person who would be delighted to see him right now. Turn off the fans."

The security guard bowed and left, all the while noticing that the computer screen behind Mao had changed. The progress bar that had been at 85% was now completely filled.

******-oOo-oOo-oOo**

There was a loud mechanical whirring, and soon, it seemed like it was coming from every direction. I held up a hand and listened carefully, straining to figure out what had just happened. Then, as the air around us became warmer and less fluid, I understood. Mao had shut off the fans in the ventilation system. _But... why would he do that? He knows that if he does this, we would be able to get to him easily. However, he still went ahead and did it... What does it mean?_ I shook my head and continued, questions still racing through my mind as we crawled.

At Kallen's order, we popped a grate off of the vents and dropped down into an eerily quiet hallway. We made sure that no one was around and carefully made our way to the operating room, a few doorways down from us. "This is it, Lelouch. I can hear him inside."

"Don't be hasty, Suzaku... This entire situation is suspicious to me... I'm certain that he's planning something. I just don't know what."

He grabbed the butt of his pistol and placed a hand on the door. "We don't have time. We have to go now, or it may be too late."

Despite the voice of caution in my head, I decided to go with Suzaku's instincts. I was prepared to save C.C., no matter the cost to myself. I took a deep breath and drew my own pistol. At my nod, Suzkau opened the door soundlessly and covered my entrance. Upon entering, I saw Mao, standing in front of a console, with C.C. strapped to what looked like an operating table in front of him. I signaled Suzaku to guard the door, while I raised my pistol and stepped forward. Halfway across the room, Mao suddenly turned around, a broad smile on his face. The door behind me slammed shut, and sealed electronically. I heard a surprised shout from my earpiece before it was filled with static.

He brought his hands together slowly in a clap. "Well done, Lelouch. I didn't think that you would actually make it this far. Well, to be honest, I thought that you would just give up. However, I think you're too late."

"Like hell I am. I'm here to rescue C.C., and you aren't going to stop me."

Before I could say anything else, I noticed the body on the table stir, and quickly rushed over, keeping my pistol aimed at Mao the entire time. "C.C... Cera... Are you alright? Can you hear me?"

Her eyelids fluttered before her eyes focused on me. "L...Lelouch... You came for me... I always believed that you would."

I helped her up from the table and let her lean against me to support her still unsteady body. "You see, Mao? You've failed. If you know what's good for you, then you'll turn yourself in. If I have my way, let's just say there might not be enough of you left to arrest."

He laughed confidently, and something in that laugh sent a chill down my spine. "Oh Mr. Lamperouge... you know nothing. This isn't the end at all, only the beginning. You think you've accomplished something, but in reality, you've done nothing."

Before I could ask what he meant, I felt a sudden pain in my side, and I saw C.C. walk away from me to stand near Mao. I touched my side with my hand, and was shocked to see it covered with blood when I pulled it away. Then, I saw the knife in her hand. "W-Why..."

Mao laughed and walked forward to kick my gun away. "You see?! You are worthless! You were far too late to prevent me from overwriting her mind with memories and sensations that would make her obedient to me. Fitting isn't it? For the one you came to save to be the one to kill you."

C.C. walked forward, the knife held loosely in her hand, and a blank expression on her face. She stood in front of me and raised the knife, and I closed my eyes, ready for my life to end. _So... This is how it ends. I never thought that I would die by her hands..._

******-oOo-oOo-oOo**

I slowly opened my eyes. It took every fiber of my being not to flinch, as I realized the tip of the knife was only centimeters from my throat. I looked past the knife and stared into C.C.'s eyes. I was shocked to see tears running down her face, though her eyes were still blank and emotionless. Her hand, the one holding the knife, wavered constantly. I became aware of Mao standing behind her. His expression was confused, frustrated, and angry all at the same time. "Why are you hesitating?! I told you to kill him!"

Her hand moved forward a little more, and I clearly felt the cold steel on my neck. However, it stopped there, and I could swear I felt the pressure on my throat lessen slightly. _Why is she hesitating? Her mind has already been modified, hasn't it?_ Then, an idea popped into my head. Though my common sense told me not to try what was on my mind, I knew it might be my only chance to save C.C.

In one swift motion, I slid myself sideways, out of the way of the descending blade and rushed forward. Instead of trying to disarm her, I threw my arms around her and embraced her as tightly as possible. Her hand with the knife came up, but stopped before it could reach me. "C.C... You're still there, aren't you... Come back to me. Fight off whatever he's done to you. I know he hasn't completely erased who you are."

The tension in her body disappeared and the knife clattered to the floor. Her arms wrapped around my body as she began to shake uncontrollably. "I-I'm s-s-sorry... What have I done?"

Before I could say anything, I was violent dragged away from her. "You... What did you do?! You've ruined my hard work and my plans!" Mao, enraged beyond reason at this point, grabbed a metal pipe from nearby and walked back towards me. "If she won't kill you, then I will. You may have reversed the brainwashing once, but I'll make sure you won't be able to do it again."

I managed to crawl upright, clutching my side as I did so. He swung at me, and it took almost every ounce of strength in me to dodge out of the way. My side flared with pain, and I dropped to one knee. "Shit..."

Mao walked forward, still brandishing his pipe. Once again, I managed to barely dodge his swing, but I knew that there was no hope of me dodging the next one. My strength was gone, and the stab wound on my side hindered my ability to move significantly. _But... I cannot allow it to end like __this. I didn't come this far to save her just to have her fall into his hands again. _My eyes fell upon the pistol Mao had originally kicked away from me, only a few inches away from my outstretched hand.

But, even as I thought this and begun to reach forward, Mao had raised the pipe once more. His mouth curled into a feral grin as he prepared to swing the piece of metal. "Goodbye, Lelouch. Your time on this world is over."

There was a flash of green, and the sickening sound of metal hitting flesh. "W-What..."

In that final second, C.C. had thrown herself between me and the pipe, without a moment of hesitation. The pipe had dealt a severe blow to the side of her head. Mao dropped the pipe and fell to his knees, his face contorted with anger and disbelief. "WHY? Why save him?! Why must you both deny me the dream I've held for so long?"

In the confusion, I had picked up the pistol from where it lay. I pushed the barrel against his back. "Your dream was wrong, something that should never be realized. And now, you reap the rewards for the evil you have sown." My finger tightened on the trigger.

A single gunshot echoed through the room.

* * *

**Chapter 9 - Final Turn**


	12. Book II Chapter 10: The End of Time

**Author's note: **This is going to be a double release, with chapter 10 and the epilogue coming out! I originally wanted these two chapters to be one, but after a bit of consideration, I decided that having them separate would add to dramatic effect.

These are going to be a little short, but then again, they were supposed to be one chapter. However, I hope that it will have the desired effect.

With this, I plan on taking a break from this book for at least a month in order to deal with schoolwork and other things. But, as soon as I am back, then I will begin working instantly on Book III.

I would love to hear ideas from you guys about settings, since I'm planning on writing one or two EXTRA chapters for this, completely unrelated to the plot (or loosely related) just for fun. If you have an idea of something you want to see made into a short story, feel free to include it in a review or in a PM!

Until Next Time!

~TabiNoTochuu

* * *

**Book II**

**Chapter 10 – The End of Time**

I dropped the smoking pistol from my hand, and dropped to my knees. With shaking arms, I reached out and pulled the unmoving body of C.C. close against my body. Using my sleeve, I wiped away the lines of blood from the side of her face. "Hey... Cera... It's over. I've done it... So, please... wake up."

Her body did not move, and tears began to leak from my eyes as I begged her to wake up, to give me some sign that she was still there, anything at all. "I'm sorry... In the end, I didn't manage to save you, did I? I somehow made things worse than they already were."

I picked up her in my arms and walked to the door. As I did so, the door slid open, and a frantic-looking Suzaku rushed into the room. "L-Lelouch! Are you alright? I couldn't do anything... he locked down the entire level after you entered the room. I only just now managed to undo the lockdown." His eyes fell upon C.C.

I silently walked past him and back the way we came, heading for the van. Before he could say anything, I stopped him. "We have to get her to a hospital... now."

Suzaku shut his mouth and nodded. He ran forward and held open the double doors ahead of us. "I understand. Get to the van, quickly, and we'll bring her to the medical specialists at my father's complex. She'll get the best treatment there."

I smiled in relief. "Thank you." Then, my face fell. "This is all my fault... If only I had been more careful, if I had covered all the angles, then maybe this wouldn't have happened. It was my fault that she got hurt, and I intend to fix this, no matter what it takes."

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

**Kururugi Complex**

I sat outside the examination room, my fingers interlaced in my lap. We had arrived at Suzaku's father's medical facilities as fast as we could, and we immediately summoned the top specialists. They had been with C.C. for more than an hour now, and my doubts and fears were growing by the minute. Possibilities loomed within my head, and each one was worse than the last.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the head medical examiner opened the door and stepped outside. I immediately sprang to my feet and barraged him with my questions. "How is she? Has she woken up? What have you found?"

He held up a hand to silence me. A dim sense of foreboding had already set in my heart from the look on his face. "We've finished our examinations. Her physical injuries should be healed within a week or two at the most. However... the damage was slightly worse than I expected. The blow to her head caused her to go into a coma. We don't know when she'll wake up, or if she'll even wake up at all."

My body froze at his words. Through clenched teeth, I managed to squeeze out the words: "... Thank you for telling me."

He seemed to realize that I needed space. The doctor laid a hand on my shoulder and left, followed by the rest of the specialists as they exited the examination room. I stumbled backwards until I hit the wall. I slid down until I sat on the floor. I had lied to myself, making myself believe that somehow, she would be fine.

I wiped my eyes and made my way to the door. I held my breath and walked into the room. I sat down next to her bed and held her hand. The sight of her on the pure white hospital bed, with an oxygen mask on her head, and numerous life-support machines attached to her with wires and tubes, filled me with an emotion I could not fully explain. "If you can hear me... I'm sorry. I never meant for this to happen. I thought that, no matter what happened, I would be able to find a way to get us through it. But... I never thought that that I would have to deal with something like this."

I smiled slightly as tears rolled down my face. "Hey... Cera... do you remember the day we first met? You appeared out of nowhere, and without my permission, inserted yourself into my life. You wouldn't have guessed just how annoyed I was with you that day. Even though I felt that way, there was always something about you that I found familiar, as if I had been missing a part of myself my whole life."

"And then, without any warning, you told me that you had accepted me to be your lover. I can't even remember what was going through my head at that time. However, I'm glad I accepted your offer. Because of that, we had some fun times... Like our first official 'date' together. I was so afraid when your father showed up. Even though we hadn't been together very long, it seemed to me that we had been at each other's side since the day when we were born. I was afraid that he would take you away from me."

I reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her face and wiped her forehead with a damp towel. "And then... I got a chance to redeem myself when he threw that party for you. But when he announced that you were getting married to Mao, it felt like the world was crashing down around me."

I was silent for a moment, and in those few seconds, only the beep of the life support machines could be heard. "But... I guess in the end, the prophecy did come true. If I had known this would happen... I would prefer death over this. But, I will bury my pain. You would want me to continue on, no matter what. However... I cannot be with you. I will never forgive myself for what I have done. Even if you were to wake up, how could I ever face you again?"

I looked down and noticed the gold ring on her finger. After all that had happened, I only just noticed that she had been wearing it the whole time. "I don't want to do this, but I think this will be best for both of us. I won't let you get hurt again." I stood up and walked to the door. "Good-bye, Cera."

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

**Ciel Headquarters**

I knocked on the heavy mahogany doors of the presidential suite. "Come in."

I walked into the room and stood face to face with Alphonse Ciel. He grabbed me, and, to my surprise, pulled me into an embrace. I was expecting angry words, blows, anything that would allow me to make amends for what I had done. "... Why? I was the one who allowed your daughter to get hurt. Why are you comforting me?"

He pushed me back to arm's length. "This was my fault, son. If I hadn't tried to challenge you that night, then this would never have happened. I asked Mao to pretend to be Cera's suitor to give you a motivation to complete my challenge. I never knew he had this motive in mind... I thought I could trust him."

I placed something on his desk and turned to leave. "I've made my decision... I can't stay with her any longer. This was my fault, and you won't hear anything from me again. If you wish to contact me, I'm sure you know where I live. Good-bye... and, I'm sorry."

I didn't need to look at the small slip of paper I had left on his desk. I already knew what was on it. He picked the piece of paper up, and I could hear the audible intake of breath as he saw what it was. If I was to leave my memories of her behind, then I had to leave everything related to her as well. Including a check for 850 million yen.

Despite how fast I left, I still heard the last words Alphonse Ciel said to me. "You'll come back... I know you will."

Just as quietly, I answered back. "For your daughter's sake, I hope I won't."

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

I stopped outside a small convenience store near my house and stopped inside for a quick late-night meal. I was lost now, without a purpose. However, I had made my decision to move on and continue my life without her. If I couldn't be with her, then at least I could vow to live to the fullest to make up for whatever time she would lose.

I clenched my fist in determination. No matter how hard the road ahead of me, I would endure it all as atonement for what I had done. Even if it were to take my entire life, I would continue to do this until I felt satisfied that it was enough. A small breeze blew past me, bringing with it the smell of cherry blossoms and the promise of a new beginning, but not the beginning I had yearned for. There was no sense of victory, or delight, only dejection.

I decided to take a walk, as my thoughts were still too jumbled and messed up for me to rest. Thirty minutes later, I found myself sitting on a bench in the Tokyo Settlement Rose Gardens. I craned my head back to look at the stars above my head. "... What should I do now, I wonder..."

The answer itself was obvious. I should finish school and find a well paying job to support my sisters as they grow older. There were numerous expenses to pay, and I had to find a way to pay them. However, by doing so, with every day, I would be moving farther and farther away from C.C. But, my decision had been made, and there was no turning back at this point.

I stretched out my legs and closed my eyes, planning out my future from here on out. I'm sure that it will be filled with many more hardships that I cannot predict, but I would find a way around them.

* * *

**Chapter 10 - The End of Time**


	13. Book II: Epilogue

**Author's note: **I decided to release chapter 10 and the epilogue as separate stories because I wanted a sort of suspense from Chapter 10 to be carried into the Epilogue. I don't know how well it worked, but I hope that it'll have the desired effect.

With the release of this chapter, we are at the end of this book. It's been a fun journey, trying new ideas and revising until I had what I wanted.

Thank you for reading!

~TabiNoTochuu

**C.C.: You're going to apologize for making me go into a coma, right? I'm sure it was an _accident_, right?**

**Me: Uhm... Y-Yes? **

**C.C.: *Sharpens Knife* Because... you know what will happen if it wasn't, right? **

**Me: H-Help me...**

**Lelouch: I prefer not to get involved in situations that might get me killed. (Oh the irony.)**

* * *

**Epilogue**

**5 years later**

I sat down at the coffee shop I frequented these days after work. The waitresses there already knew me pretty well, so they didn't even need to take my order. One of them laid out my usual order that I got after work in front of me; a small coffee and a slice of whatever cake they had that day. My thoughts began to wander, like it tended to nowadays. It had been five years since I made the decision to leave C.C. for her sake. I still regretted my choice, but it was my fault in the first place that she had gotten hurt. Even now, at night, I still think about how I could have done it better, so she wouldn't have been injured.

But, after I made my decision, I began to concentrate on my studies and got a job at a computer company not long after I graduated. It wasn't the type of job I wanted, but it paid my bills and helped me support my sisters. Nunally was still living with me, but things were looking up for her with the announcement of new technology designed to help permanently crippled people walk again. Nanotechnology created a couple of years back had restored her eyesight, and if she was able to walk again, then she would be able to live her life fully once more.

Euphy had moved in with Suzaku ever since he proposed to her three years back. I still see her pretty often, and I'm glad she's doing well. She sometimes has small fights with Suzaku and comes over to my house to sulk and complain, but they would always get back together quickly and forget about everything.

I sighed and stirred a few blocks of sugar into my coffee. "Seems like everyone's doing pretty well... I'm disappointed that I turned into such a boring person..." I glanced at my watch, then quickly downed the last of the coffee and cake.

As I exited the shop, I nearly ran headfirst into someone, as I was contemplating what to cook for dinner tonight. "Ah! I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going-"

I froze as my eyes met those of the woman I nearly ran into. As I stared into her eyes, her golden irises stared back at me. Her face, extremely pretty, was unlike any other woman's. Her long green hair had been tied into a neat ponytail, and was combed neatly. I felt the air rush from my body as I stared at her.

I raised a trembling hand, then pulled it back, as if I had touched something hot. Her hands rose from her sides and grasped mine. She continued to gaze directly into my eyes and gave me a warm smile. "If you're not busy, would you mind accompanying me? You seem like a nice man who has nothing to do."

I turned away. "I wish... I'm not nice at all. I got the woman I love into a great deal of trouble that ended up with her hurt. It was my fault, and I have no way of going back to fix my mistakes."

Her hands left mine and reached up to stroke my face. Then, she threw herself forward into my arms. And, for the first time in five years, I embraced C.C. back. "Why... Why have you come here? Wasn't the letter I left you enough? I swore to stay away from you so that what happened five years ago would never happen again. I thought I had lost you... And I can't bear the thought of losing you again."

"After five years, that's the only thing you say to me? Aren't you supposed to say something like... 'You've gotten prettier' or something like that?"

"Why did you come here?"

She wiped her eyes and glanced at me. "I was actually on my way to your house. I had to tell you something, but something in my head told me to come here. Who knew you would really be here, at the place we first met?"

"S-Shut up... What is it you need to tell me?"

Her face reddened and she reached into her purse and handed me a white envelope. "W-Well... you see... I'm g-getting m-married. And I want you to be there at the ceremony."

Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. Of course, I had to have prepared for this possibility. If I had moved on, then maybe she could have too. However, this didn't make the truth of the matter any easier to bear. I could just barely force out a few words. "I see... Then I wish you happiness with the man you have chosen. I'm sure you two are perfect for each other."

A loud crack sounded as she slapped me, none too gently, across the face. Before I could say anything, she jumped back into my arms. She buried her head into my chest and cried. "Stupid, Stupid, Stupid! Do you even remember our promise? We made a contract with each other, to stay with each other no matter what. There's no way I would forget about that... I would honor our promise no matter what. You idiot... Just how stupid can you be? I never told you the name of the person who I was marrying, did I?" She looked up into my eyes, her own filled with tears. "If you want... then I could be your wife."

"Cera..."

She hugged me tighter as her tears rolled down her face. "This is just like you... I knew you would take the blame on yourself, but I never imagined it to be to this extent... What I did that day was my own choice. You can't blame yourself for what I chose to do."

"Still..." I looked away from her. "I still can't forgive myself for letting you get hurt. If I had thought things out better, then you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

She sighed and took my hand, pulling me with her. "I knew that you would be like this... Come with me, Lelouch."

******-oOo-oOo-oOo**

**Rose Gardens, Tokyo Settlement**

I couldn't help but be surprised at where she had brought me. At this time of the year, the roses and other flowers were still budding, and it was just fields of green plants, none of the vivid array of colors that would appear starting in spring.

She let go of me and walked into the park, her eyes half-closed. "... I do remember our first date."

_What is she talking about?_ She turned around and clasped her hands in front of her chest. "I also remember the day we met. And... I feel the same way as you do. It feels like we were born to be at each other's sides."

When she saw the confusion on my face, she stepped a little closer. "Don't you remember, Lelouch? Those were some of the things you said to me while I was still in the coma. I wanted to answer back, so badly... but I couldn't. When you told me that you were leaving me for 'my sake'... I almost couldn't take it. You are the only thing I live for, so what could I possibly do once you were gone?"

Now, she was only an inch away from me. "Even though I wanted to give up, I knew I couldn't. Your sense of duty had clouded your thinking, and I believed that if I could just wake up... then maybe I could convince you otherwise."

_Have I been too harsh on myself? Or perhaps... I made my decision too quickly... I was so depressed with all that had happened that I took a road that I thought that I couldn't return from. But, now, this could be my only chance for redemption. However... this doesn't change the fact that two mistakes I made caused her so much pain._

I hesitantly reached up and caressed her cheek. She closed her eyes and rested her head against my hand. "Even though five years have passed... it looks like you haven't changed at all. The touch of your hand is the same as I remember it from so long ago."

_If I don't do this, won't I be causing her more pain?_ I had been doubting and blaming myself for so long now, I had given up all hope. But now, there was a new path ahead of me, filled with the brightness that I had yearned for. "... I want to be with you too... I can't stand seeing you in pain. That's why, at your side, I promise, I will protect you for the rest of your life."

A single tear slid from her eye as a brilliant smile spread across her face. "... I'll make sure you keep that promise. Besides, if you're still feeling guilty about anything from five years ago, now I have an entire lifetime to have you make it up to me."

A genuine smile, the first in a long time, twisted my lips. "You got it. Looks like I'm going to have to spend a very long time repaying this witch."

C.C. handed me a small red satin box, her face turning slightly red as she did so. "Um... Y-You know... It's customary for the man to propose, isn't it? Unless you want me to embarrass you and do it."

I took the box from her and slowly opened it. Inside, glittering in the fading sunlight, was the simple gold ring that I left on her finger five years ago. I carefully took it from its padding and stared at it for a moment. Then, in the middle of the fields of green rosebuds, I got down on one knee.

"Cera... I'm five years late... but, will you marry me?"

With her eyes filled with tears, she held out her hand wordlessly and let me slide the ring onto her ring finger. Then, without any warning, she jumped at me and embraced me tightly, crying and laughing at the same time. This time, I responded back with an embrace of my own, just as passionate.

Then, before we could break apart, something extraordinary happened. All around us, as if on cue, the roses began to bud. Patch after patch, until the green fields of the gardens changed into the reds, pinks, yellows, and whites that made up the rose garden. "... Impossible. There's no way that roses could bloom right now... it's still winter."

I felt C.C.'s arms tighten around me. "Maybe it's a sign... A sign that only comes when the witch finally becomes one with her warlock."

I turned back to look directly into her eyes and laughed. "Maybe you're right."

"Hey... Lelouch... You still remember our promise, right? The one you made while we were together that night?"

I smiled and looked off into the distance, at a mountain peak a few miles away. "Yeah. I do. Tomorrow night, let's go stargazing. Just you and me."

The brilliant smile that crossed her face was more than enough for me at that moment. I knew that the road ahead of me would be filled with difficulties, but now, with her back with me, I felt confident that I could overcome them all.

And, in that field of brilliant and vivid colors, we shared our first kiss as husband and wife.

**~Virtues of the Heart - End~**

* * *

**End Notes: **Hello, and thank you for reading Virtues of the Heart! For my continued readers, this is the conclusion of the second book in the Colors of My Soul series. With this done, we move on to book III, and the final ending to wrap up the entire series. I wanted to take this time to thank you all, new and old readers alike for reading and reviewing my stories. Your encouragements, comments, and help have all helped me become a better writer. Despite all the setbacks, I managed to finish this book with your help.

With the end of this book, I will be taking a short break from all writing in order to focus on tests and a few papers that are coming along soon. However, I will be back as soon as possible to begin work on Book III. Also, I will be releasing a few one-shots to be tied to the end of this story, just a few short stories of various events after the events of the epilogue.

Once again, thank you for reading, and I hope I'll see you in my next release!

~TabiNoTochuu


	14. Book II Extra Chapter 1 - Ghostbusters

**Author's notes: **Hello! This is the extra chapter for Book II - _Virtues of the Heart_. I came up with the idea for this story purely by chance and after some tweaking, I decided that I liked the way it was going to turn out. Unfortunately, I ran into a few problems writing, and the story became longer than I had originally envisioned it. So, instead of two extra chapters of different scenes, I will be splitting this extra story into 2-3 chapters and give up on the second extra story I had planned.

I'm currently working on the first chapter of Book III, and I have to admit, it's going pretty slowly right now. I've started my summer internship, and I'm usually in the lab from 9 am in the morning until 2-3 in the afternoon. My original prediction of 1 chapter per 2-3 weeks may have been too optimistic, and my releases are most likely going to come slower than that.

But, all that aside, I'm quite happy with how the extra story turned out, and I hope that you'll enjoy it as well!

Until Next Time!

~TabiNoTochuu

**P.S. **I'm always looking for new ideas for new stories or add-ons to existing ones. If you want to see something, be it a scene, a pairing, or a new series you'd like for me to write about, feel free to PM me! I'll do my best to accommodate any requests.

* * *

**Book II**

**Extra Chapter 1 - Ghostbusters**

I looked up from my book and frowned slightly. "What are you talking about?"

C.C. tilted her head slightly to the side and sighed. "Like I just said, there's an interesting rumor going around right now. There's a shrine near here, and the rumor states that there's an evil spirit possessing it. Not many people have the courage to go near it anymore."

I laid my book down and rested my chin on my hands. "What does that have to do with us? Besides, it's just a stupid rumor. It was probably started by someone who saw a raccoon or something and scared themselves into thinking it was a ghost."

She shook her head vigorously, and I could almost see the enthusiasm and energy radiating from her body. "Someone from our class went to go check it out last weekend. From what I've heard, he saw movements in the shrine, and heard voices. Ever since then, he hasn't come back to school, and people are now saying that by visiting the cursed shrine, he was put under some sort of spell."

I scoffed at the notion and leaned back. "Absurd. There's no way ghosts could be real. He's probably just pretending to get attention."

Then, I noticed the sparkling in her eyes, and before she even said anything, I knew what she wanted. "But... What if they do exist? This would be a great opportunity to do a bit of research! Who knows? Maybe it really is a ghost. Besides... I heard that there was going to be a festival held in the shrine. Even though the students here are kind of afraid, there should be a lot of other people going. It'll be a chance for us to have some fun as well!"

"There's absolutely no reason for us to go... Ghosts don't exist, and what would we prove if we actually went? It a waste of time in my opinion."

"... not even for a chance to go to a festival with me? It'll be my treat, and I promise it'll be fun! We can bring Euphy, Nunally and Suzaku along if they're willing to come."

I sighed and held my hands up in defeat. "Alright, alright. I'll ask them, but don't think that I'm giving in. I still don't believe in ghosts and I think that if we spend time at that festival searching for one, we'll just turn up empty handed and exhausted."

C.C. turned her head to the side, and I just barely caught her reply. "... maybe you're the only one that's going to be tired."

"... I know I'm not athletic. You don't need to poke at my pride like that."

She gave me a innocent look. "What pride?"

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

**Three Days Later**

I scratched my stomach as I fidgeted in my seat. After talking with my sisters and Suzaku, I only managed to convince Euphy to go. And, naturally, since Euphy was going, Suzaku found a reason to show up. Nunally had gotten a mild cold the night before, and decided to stay home and recuperate. So, before we knew it, we had been bundled off into a sleek black limousine headed for the somewhat remote temple, and the so-called haunted shrine. "Lelouch... stop fidgeting. You're messing up your kimono."

I growled in frustration. I wasn't used to wearing these types of clothes, and frankly, they were much too scratchy and clung to me in ways I cared not to describe. The cloth and the quality of the clothes were superb, but its comfort was something to be questioned. "... I've never worn clothes so uncomfortable before... How are you people able to bear this?"

Euphy put a finger to her lips and thoughtfully answered. "Well... I guess it's kind of like wearing a dress."

"Yes, because I do that very often."

C.C. reached over and pinched my cheek. "Lelouch is just grumpy because he lost our bet."

My face reddened slightly. "No, I'm not."

She grinned and poked me in the ribs. "Admit it. You should have seen the look on your face when these two happily and enthusiastically volunteered to come hunting for ghosts. I should have taken a picture."

"W-Well... I thought that it would be a nice experience..."

I glared at Euphy and sat back. As I closed my eyes, I felt two soft, warm arms wrap around mine. "Come on... Cheer up! Even if we don't find a ghost, at least we'll have fun doing so! Think of it as a challenge!"

I let out a breath and rested my head on her shoulder. "I really can't stay mad at you, can I?"

She flashed me smile and turned to look out the window at the scenery rushing past us. "Of course you can't. I know you too well."

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

I opened the car door and stretched myself, sore from the long car ride over. After I had made myself comfortable, I looked at the building in front of me. Since the festival stretched over an entire week, C.C. had made arrangements for us to stay at a very high-class hotel that her father's friend owned. Even before entering, I could tell just how much money had gone into the building. Everything looked new, and it was designed in a traditional style that had an oddly calming effect on me. I took a deep breath, taking in the scent of wildflowers growing along the path to the hotel. "Well, what do you think?"

I turned around. "It's perfect. The scenery, the environment, everything is just so amazing."

She let her hand slip into mine and pulled me toward the double doors. "Let's go check out the room where we'll be staying this week. I can't wait to see what they look like!"

I let her pull me through a maze of corridors until we reached a door. She took a key from her purse and unlocked it, opening it to reveal the room beyond. My eyes widened slightly at the sight of the room. It was clear that this was a room reserved for very rich guests, as it was larger than any hotel room I've seen before. There was a fully stocked and working kitchen, a living room, two bedrooms, and a recreation room with glass walls on all sides. Despite this, I couldn't help but feel a small feeling of bitterness grow within me. _So... this is what money can buy... _

I shook away my rude thoughts and went to check out the bedrooms. Each room had two large beds, a pair of writing desks, a TV, a computer, and a private bathroom. "Who is going to be in which room?"

C.C. gave me a look that clearly said, _Are you stupid?_ "... Euphy and Suzaku are going to be staying here, and naturally, we'll be staying in the other room."

"... I'll sleep on the couch."

"In your dreams. What are you so afraid of?" A wicked grin spread across her face. "Can it be you are afraid to spend the night in the same room as me?"

"Should I not be? Who knows what you could do to me over the course of this week?"

She sidled a little closer to me. "Are you scared that I might put you under a spell that would make you obedient to me for an entire week? Or are you scared because I might try something when you let your guard down."

"Naturally, coming from a witch like you, both."

"I see." She suddenly stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to my cheek. "Then, are your worries abated with this?"

"I don't know. I think I might need more convincing."

"Oh shut up and help me get the luggage."

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

After we had moved all our luggage from the car to the room, we decided to split up until the evening. I was curious about the surrounding area, as well as what else the hotel had to offer, and C.C. had offered to give me a tour. Euphy and Suzaku decided to stay in the room and rest, since they were tired from the long car ride over.

Downstairs, we roamed around the entire grounds, seeing everything there was. Though I had my reservations about casually strolling around a place for aristocrats and the rich, soon, I was too caught up in discoveries to mind that. Walking around with C.C., I felt more relaxed than I had been in a long time. Soon, we discovered a small pathway leading away from the hotel, and we curiously decided to check it out.

"... Is this really what I think it is?"

Secluded around 10 minutes walk from the hotel, surrounded by trees, was a private hot spring. I made a mental note to visit here and let off some steam when I had the chance. It had been forever since I had last been to a hot spring.

"Look here... it says that there are small, private hot springs that the hotel guests can request. Maybe... we should go in together?"

I felt my face redden instantly. "D-Don't be stupid! There's no way that I would go into a hot spring with you!"

"... Why not?"

I couldn't help but laugh a little at the serious disappointment on her face. "Besides the obvious? There's no way that I would be allowed to go into there with you."

"And if you were?"

I decided to joke around with her a bit, and closed my eyes in mock concentration. "Well... if that's the case, then I would have no objections to it. But, then again, there's no way that's happening."

Her brooding silence at that moment scared me more than anything else could have.

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

**Evening**

The sky was getting dark when the four of us departed from the hotel. The shrine was only a few minutes walk away, and already, the street was filled with people on the way to the festival. Even from here, I could hear the music and smell the various foods that were at the site. Despite my attitude, I couldn't help but get excited at the sight of such an energetic festival.

Even the schedule C.C. had laid out for us couldn't dim my excitement. Since it was the first night and the festival was just beginning, we were to go up to the shrine tonight after enjoying as much of what was currently available in the festival. When we reached the first stalls, we split up, as Suzaku and Euphy went one way, I was pulled by C.C. toward another area of stalls.

For the next couple of hours, we tore through the festival, checking out the wares that were available and trying out all kinds of foods. Needless to say, it was more fun that I'd had in a very long time.

Finally, at the appointed time, we met up with Euphy and Suzaku at the edge of the festival grounds and headed up the worn path towards the shrine. The lights and sounds of the festival died away behind us, and the trail became steadily darker. Soon, the only thing that illuminated our path was the half moon above us.

"... I don't like this..."

Despite how quietly I whispered it under my breath, C.C. still managed to hear me. She grinned and gave me a soft nudge in the ribs. "You were so adamant on your belief that ghosts aren't real. If that's the case, then why are you getting so scared now?"

I felt my face flush a little, and I ducked down. "... I'm not scared. I just have a bad feeling about the shrine." I looked at her and realized she was trying really hard to suppress her laughter. "I'm serious! It's just a feeling... I can't really explain it."

"Sure, Lelouch. Then I guess we'll just have to be really careful tonight, won't we?"

"You're just making fun of me right now, aren't you?"

Without even a second's remorse, she grinned and skipped ahead. "Yup."

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

The desolate shrine didn't help ease my worries at all. There wasn't a light to be seen, and the shadows were growing around us. In this dark, even C.C. seemed a little more on edge than normal, but we proceeded into the shrine regardless of what we felt. From a backpack, Suzaku produced four flashlights as well as two hand held radios, just so we could keep in touch and coordinate our search. In order to check as much of the shrine as possible, we had decided to split into pairs and check different areas.

I grabbed a flashlight and a radio and followed C.C. into the main building of the shrine. With the light from our flashlights, the shrine seemed much less sinister. However, despite this, I felt a constant prickling on the back of my neck, as if we were being watched by someone. Even though I turned around many times, I never saw anyone following us.

After around 30 minutes of wandering through various rooms, we came upon a locked room. Try as we did, we couldn't find a key. "... I wonder why this room in particular is locked... Maybe we could pick the lock?"

I stared at C.C. in disbelief. "We can't just go and pick the lock! Something like that is illegal! What if you get caught?"

She laughed and pulled a hairpin out of her pocket. "Relax, Lelouch. Besides, who's going to catch us? We're the only ones in this area of the shrine."

Despite my protests, she continued to work at the lock, and after only a few minutes, the lock popped open, and she glanced up at me with a smug grin on her face. "Open sesame."

She slid the door open and my eyes registered something large flying our way. With a speed that surprised myself, I tackled C.C. out of the doorway just as a chair flew through the doorway and broke against the wall with a resounding thud. "W-What w-w-was that?"

I gathered my courage and crawled to the door and peeked around the corner. I couldn't see anyone there, as the moonlight filtering in through the window would have made anyone in the room visible. "... It couldn't have been..."

Even though she was obviously still shaken from having a chair fly towards her face, C.C. propped herself up in excitement. "You see? There must be a ghost here! Otherwise, how would you explain that?"

Before I could respond, a voice spoke out from the darkness. "What are you doing here?"

It was so unexpected that C.C. and I both screamed and clung to each other. There was a light chuckle, and a girl around the same age as us stepped out from the shadows. "I'm sorry, did I scare you?"

C.C. gave me a look and untangled herself from me. "O-Of course not. You just startled us a little. We didn't expect anyone else to be in the shrine at this time."

The girl laughed again and glanced at the flashlights in our hands. "Even though I don't think you mean any harm, what are you doing here? The shrine is off-limits after sundown."

Sheepishly, C.C. answered, her eyes directed downwards like a child who had done something wrong. "W-We... um... heard from a classmate of ours that this shrine is haunted. We wanted to see if we could find a ghost or find some sort of evidence here."

Instantly, the air around her seemed to change. "I see... you're one of those people. In that case, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. There can't possibly be a ghost here, or I would have known by now."

"Wait here. If you say there aren't any ghosts, then how do you explain that chair that flew out at us when we opened the door? Besides, why was that door even locked to begin with?"

The mysterious girl sighed and bent over to begin picking up the pieces of the chair that had, just moments ago, been flying at our heads. "There are sometimes kids that sneak in here and think they're being clever by setting up booby traps like this. I lock up the rooms to prevent anyone from getting hurt."

I was taken aback at her answer. "O-Oh... Well, I'm sorry for bothering you. Would you mind if we continued to explore this place? It wouldn't feel like the adventure we had planned if we don't check everywhere for these so-called "ghosts", even if they don't exist."

She thought for a moment, and her facial expression softened. "Alright. I'll permit it, as long as you promise not to enter any more rooms that are private. In order to make sure you don't, would you mind if I joined you? I think this ghost hunt is quite exciting."

I glanced at C.C., and at her nod, I smiled and held out my hand to her. "We'll be happy to have you join us. My name is Lelouch Lamperouge. And this is C-" I hesitated, not sure whether or not I should give this mysterious girl C.C.'s real name or not.

C.C. helped me from my dilemma by nudging me aside and holding out her own hand to the girl. "It's nice to meet you, my name is Cera Ciel."

Her head tilted to the side as she shook C.C.'s hand. "Cera... That's a nice name."

"Thank you. What's your name?"

The girl in the shrine maiden's uniform smiled and gave us a small bow. "My name is Ayumi. It's nice to meet you as well."

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

For another thirty minutes, we walked around with Ayumi, as she took the lead and led us through the shrine. We searched all over the rooms we were allowed to go into, but we found nothing else suspicious. At the end of our "tour", we met up with Suzaku and Euphy. After we introduced Ayumi to them, C.C. excitedly asked them if the had found anything in their search, then sighed in disappointment as their answers were negative. "Well... let's call it a night and head back to the hotel... We can come back to do a little more exploring some other time this week. That's okay with you, isn't it, Ayumi?"

She smiled and nodded. "You would be welcome to come by whenever you choose. Good-night, and have a safe trip."

Just then, a sudden thought seemed to strike C.C. She turned around and grabbed Ayumi's hand. "Hey... The festival is still going on right now, and we were planning on doing one last round through the stalls before we went back. Would you like to come with us, Ayumi?"

She quickly shook her head and stepped back. "I would love to, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to refuse. There are still things I need to tend to at the shrine, and I must finish my work tonight. I would be happy to go some other time this week, if that's alright with you."

C.C. smiled and nodded enthusiastically. "That would be great! In that case, we'll be leaving!"

Still talking about the things we had found, the four of us headed back into the still bustling festival grounds. As we walked, I happened to put my hand into my coat pocket. Inside, my hand brushed against a piece of paper that was definitely not there before. Confused, I asked the others to head on ahead while I took a look at the piece of paper I had just found inside my coat pocket.

It was a very old photograph, and it was in black and white. However, the date and the picture itself was clearly visible, and my eyes widened slightly as they looked over that small square of paper. The girl in that black and white photograph, taken at least fifty or sixty years ago, looked identical to Ayumi.

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

Despite how strange the picture was, I decided to leave the matter aside until sometime tomorrow. I was too tired right now to try and find an explanation for the picture, and all I wanted to do was take a quick shower and collapse onto my bed. When I entered the room, I knew instantly that something was up. C.C. was nowhere to be found in the common living room, and I couldn't find her in any of the other more public areas in our suite. I took a deep breath as I laid my hand on the doorknob into my (shared) room. I had no sooner opened the door when a hand reached out from the inside and pulled me in with surprising force. I didn't even have time to shout before I landed on my back in my room, with a shadow looming over me. "C.C... It's late... Can't you do this tomorrow? I just want to take a shower and go to sleep... I'm absolutely exhausted."

She shook her finger at me and grinned devilishly. "Not so fast, Lelouch. Wouldn't you like to relax in a hot spring instead of a boring shower? I've heard that this hotel's hot springs are famous for being able to revitalize a person."

"A soak in a hot spring does sound pretty nice..." Then, a sudden realization hit me. "Oh no you don't. There is no way I'm getting into a hot spring with you. I admit, you almost got me there, but luckily, I managed to see through your plot in time."

She blinked at me innocently. "What do you mean? I would never think to do something like that. I had them book a private one for you and another one for me so that we wouldn't have to use the crowded public baths."

I sighed and shook my head. "In that case... I guess I'll go. A soak in a hot spring is always good for the body. And... I guess I am a little wound up."

I would regret not paying closer attention to the devious grin on her face.

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

My eye twitched as I stared at the entrance to my "private" hot spring. It was a pretty nice little place, a small pool of hot water at the perfect temperature, surrounded by rocks and greenery to set the scene and mood. But, what was bothering me was the person that stood in the doorway. "I thought that you said they had prepared a separate hot spring for you. So... Why are you here?"

C.C. continued to act innocent as she walked to the edge of the water. "It seems they made a mistake with the preparations. So, instead of staying out in the cold, I decided to come to yours, since it was already prepared."

I felt my face heat up as I realized she was wearing only a towel. I quickly turned away and waved a finger at her. "A-Anyways, go put on some clothes and talk to the manager or something. I'm not turning around until I'm sure you're gone."

There was a soft splash, and a moment later, I felt someone slide up next to me. "Don't be such a child. There's no reason for me to go find the manager, right? He's probably busy, and anyways, this is the perfect size for two people."

"Why does this always happen to me?!"

******-oOo-oOo-oOo-**

After the initial awkwardness was over, I had to admit, it was more relaxing with her there next to me. It helped to have someone there that I could talk about anything to. "... about that girl we met at the shrine... did anything seem odd about her to you?"

C.C. opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. "I'm glad you brought that up. I also thought that something was off about her. Her story was strange, but it wasn't too abnormal that I would say she was lying. But something just didn't feel right."

"At the time, I was still too shaken about having a chair come flying at my head to question her story. However, now that I think about it, it really doesn't seem to fit too well. Let's say there actually are kids who would set up random booby-traps inside an old shrine, if Ayumi had seen them do it or knew that the traps were there, then wouldn't it be a simple matter to get someone to fix it? Even in a place like this, it can't be too hard to find a few people willing to do some community service at the shrine."

She nodded thoughtfully. Suddenly, I remembered the picture I had found in my coat pocket and brought it out. "Also, there's this. I found this in my coat pocket after we left the shrine. I didn't notice it until we had reached the festival grounds. Take a look."

C.C. studied the picture for a long time before she spoke. "... Lelouch... I don't know what to make of this... It looks exactly like Ayumi, no doubt about it. However... if that date is correct, then the girl in that picture should be nearly seventy years old now."

Then, she tossed the picture aside. "But... let's leave this little mystery until tomorrow. I'm sure we'll find ourselves a reasonable explanation once we ask Ayumi about it. Besides... We came here to relax and enjoy ourselves too. It would be a shame if we didn't make the most out of our time."

I smiled and rested my arm around her shoulders. "You're right. It was foolish for us to worry about such things when there are other things we should be focused on."

As she rested herself against me, we stared up into the night sky. Then, as I began to drift into a light sleep, I began to think that maybe, coming here wasn't such a bad idea after all.

* * *

**Extra Chapter 1 - Ghostbusters**


	15. Book II End Notes

**Hello, TabiNoTochuu here!**

Thank you so much for choosing to read the second book in the **_Colors of My Soul _**series! I couldn't have done it without you guys. With your encouragements and help, I believe that I've been able to evolve as a writer.

I still can't believe that I managed to finish this story. It took longer than expected, and there were times where I was close to giving up on the story due to frustration and a lack of ideas, but I pressed on.

**My Plans for this story:**

1-2 Short (2500-3500 word) stories not related to the plot (Preferably based on reader ideas)

Rest for 1 month or so (School and homework calls)

Begin work on Book III: Chapter 1 (Should be started sometime in mid April, expect the release to sometime in May.)

**Once again, thank you for reading!**

If you have suggestions or an idea that you'd like to see turned into a story, please let me know!

Until Next Time!

~TabiNoTochuu


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